Mass Effect: The Point of No Return
by BDM
Summary: Alternate Universe adaptation of Arrival. Commander Kaelyn Shepard is dispatched deep into Batarian space to rescue a top UNSC scientist, but the discoveries she will make there have dire repercussions for the entire galaxy, and a terrible choice must be made.
1. Jailbirds

**MASS EFFECT: THE POINT OF NO RETURN**

**Jailbirds**

**_1017, September 23, 2560 (Military time)\Unknown Location_**

It had been over three weeks since the destruction of the Collector Base. Those monsters - the final insult that the horrific sentient machines known as the Reapers had cast upon their previous victims, the Forerunners - had launched a campaign involving the abduction of every human in the lawless Terminus Systems. No-one had known why, but now the truth was out. The Collectors were processing the humans, melting their bodies and using the resulting liquid in the construction of a human-shaped Reaper. It was theorised that the creator of the Reapers wanted access to the Array, the centre of all knowledge in existence and the source of the mysterious power known as Technomancy, a power which only humans had the ability to wield. The Reapers were terrible and powerful enough, but if they had been able to create their own Technomancer they would have become truly unstoppable, all of creation at their mercy.

Mercifully, that had never come to pass, thanks to the efforts of the crew of the sleek super-frigate _Normandy SR-2_. The base had been destroyed and so had the Human Reaper larva along with it. However, their efforts had not come without a price. Their actions had earned them enemies, particularly the pro-human extremist organisation Cerberus. In spite of the fact that they funded the mission to destroy the Collectors, providing the intel, equipment and personnel, they were regarded as a terrorist faction by much of the galaxy, and with good reason. The crew had discovered that the leader of Cerberus, known only as the Illusive Man, wanted to keep the Collector Base for himself, fixated in the belief that he could turn the Reapers' own technology and methods against them. The crew knew the danger such technology possessed, and the cost of it was too high. With such a strong leader at their helm, who was unwilling to compromise and sacrifice innocents to achieve her goals, the crew had grown to trust her more than they did their boss, and so had sided with her, even if it meant they had to become renegades, on the run from Cerberus who no doubt were searching everywhere for them, to reclaim their property and exact some form of retribution.

On top of that, because of them working with a recognised terrorist group, every other authority in the galaxy wanted a word with them, particularly the Citadel Council, the United Nations Space Command and the Orion Alliance. Everyone had agreed had it was for the best that they stay on the _Normandy_ and try to keep out of everyone's way; at such a crucial stage, with the Reapers due to arrive in the galaxy in full force, they knew that they could not afford to be incarcerated. It was an easy job to not attract attention from anyone, thanks to the advanced stealth technology of the ship.

Not that there hadn't been some temptation to break their cover and return to the galaxy at large. Not long after the successful Collector base operation, the extranet had exploded with news and images about the return of the Precursors, the race that had given the human race the ability to use Technomancy. They even had one of their ships completed, which if the newsfeeds were anything to go by was even larger than the Citadel itself. Xi Kedzuel Draconis, the Emperor of the Precursors, had come to arrangements with the Council for aid in reconstructing the rest of his ships, and had promised to help all of the races of the galaxy in the battle against the Reapers. It was encouraging to think that others were now preparing for the arrival of those monsters, but everyone had agreed that it was for the best that the _Normandy_ crew continue to remain off the radar, at least for the time being. When the galaxy needed the _Normandy_'s help it would come, but not before then, not while Cerberus was still such a big factor.

Commander Kaelyn Shepard, the de-facto captain of the _Normandy_, was stepping into her large cabin at the top of the ship. She sat down at her desk, looking over the notes on a datapad from the day's rounds of the ship. Their fuel would hold out for another week or so, but their food supplies were running low. She didn't want to risk going to the Citadel for ingredients, but if they didn't do something soon they would surely starve. Mess Sergeant Gardner had already had to off-load his 'Chef's Special' onto some unsuspecting members of the crew over the past couple of days. At this rate, soon the only crew members who would have access to suitable food would be Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy; as a Turian and Quarian respectively, they went through the dextro-friendly rations at a much slower pace. She sighed and held her head in her hand; she knew that they had to keep flying so as not to attract attention or leave any proverbial breadcrumbs, but if they didn't head for civilisation and get restocked they were surely done for.

"_Shepard,"_ a female voice with an odd electronic quality to it suddenly said through the ship's speakers. _"There's something I need to bring to your attention. Is this a bad time?"_

"No, EDI," said Shepard, trying her best not to sound weary. "Go ahead." She walked up to a small holographic emitter beside the large fish tank, where a small hologram of a human woman with lines of code all over her body blinked into view. This was the avatar of the ship's artificial intelligence known as EDI. What was unusual about EDI was her method of creation; her programming was partly based on Reaper code that Cerberus had managed to pull from a piece of Sovereign, the Reaper that had attacked the Citadel two years ago. EDI herself was unaware of this until the ship's pilot, Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, had removed the shackles that Cerberus had placed on her. However, she had proven her loyalty to the crew many times over, and even seemed to develop an odd sense of humour, for upon defecting from Cerberus she had sent millions upon billions of terabytes of porn to Cerberus, most of it from Joker's private stash. She was also another reason the _Normandy_ crew were on the run; quite aside from the fact that AIs were illegal according to the Council, they didn't want her to be harmed by anyone who wanted to deactivate her because of the code within her. Only a few people outside the ship knew about EDI's true nature, and she hoped those people she had told had the sense to stay quiet.

"I thought you ought to know that someone has been trying to contact you," said EDI, reaching an arm up to her short 'hair'. "The transmission uses UNSC protocols, so I have been trying to block it, but the signal keeps getting through regardless of how many blocks I set up. They must be using an expert hacker to ensure the signal evades my firewalls. No matter what I do it always reaches us." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Shepard, this transmission is direct from the office of Admiral Stephen Hackett."

Now Shepard had to admit that this was catching her attention. Normally EDI would bounce away any attempts by the UNSC to contact her, lest they get a fix on the _Normandy_'s position. However, if Admiral Hackett himself was trying to contact her, then this had to be too important to ignore. If he was even going to the lengths of bringing on board the greatest hacker on Earth (she could take a good guess as to who) to ensure that the signal reached her, then she reasoned that she ought to sit up and take notice of this.

"Patch it through to my quarters, EDI," said Shepard.

"Yes, Shepard," said EDI, nodding as her avatar faded.

Shepard crossed back over to her office and pressed some buttons on her terminal. The large glass case over her desk contained several models of different types of ship, and in front of one pane of glass was a large trideo display. Shepard transferred the visuals of the call onto that large screen. As she expected, the figure that appeared on the screen was Admiral Stephen Hackett himself. He was wearing his usual UNSC dress uniform, with all manner of medals pinned to his chest. His aged, battle-hardened face had a scar on it that ran from his brow to his chin.

"_Commander,"_ he said. _"Thank you for your time. I'll keep this brief. We have a deep-cover operative out in Batarian space. Name's Doctor Catherine Halsey."_

"Halsey?" asked Shepard, looking puzzled. "The scientist behind the Spartan program? I thought she was listed as MIA?"

"_She was recently rescued from what was left of the Shield Installation Onyx,"_ said Hackett.

"There's a warrant out for her arrest," said Shepard. "Why's the UNSC protecting her?"

"_She's done terrible things in the past, Shepard,"_ said Hackett. _"If it were up to me, she'd be left to rot on a prison colony. However, we're facing an unconventional war against the Reapers, and she's the best at unconventional solutions. We put her to work in Batarian space. It's a deadly assignment, and she's one of the few up to the challenge. She recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion."_

Shepard stepped back, leaning against the shelves opposite the screen. "So why call me?" she asked, folding her arms. "You know I'm trying to keep a low profile. I assume Mr. Knight helped you to find me?"

"_Yes,"_ said Hackett. _"We both understand that you don't want to be found right now, and we wouldn't be asking anything of you unless we felt you were the only one in a position to do something about our problem."_ His face became grave. _"Just this morning I received news that the Batarians had arrested Halsey. They're holding her in a secret prison outpost on terrorism charges. I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out of there. As a favour to me, I'm asking you to go in alone."_

"I have a hell of a squad with me," said Shepard. "I'm sure they'd help out."

"_Halsey's a valuable asset to the UNSC,"_ said Hackett, shaking his head. _"If the Batarians see a squad of armed soldiers, they'll kill her. This is serious, Commander. Go in with discretion, or don't go in at all."_

"What's Halsey actually doing out there?" asked Shepard.

"_She's a deep cover operative, Shepard,"_ said Hackett. _"We talk only when we have to. I'd heard she was investigating a rumour of a Reaper artefact in the system. Her last report said she'd found it. She believes that the artefact is proof that the Reaper invasion is closer than we all thought. If she of all people says this, then it's worth checking out."_

"The Batarians won't take kindly to the UNSC breaking into a secret prison," said Shepard, her arms folded.

"_That's why this isn't a UNSC operation,"_ said Hackett. _"It's one person going in alone to save a friend. If it were an official mission, of course the Batarians would be upset. You keep this quiet, Shepard, and there's nothing to worry about."_

Shepard gave a heavy sigh. She was no friend of Halsey; in fact, given her feelings about the nature of the Spartan program, she had half a mind to leave her for the Batarians. However, Hackett was right; they needed every mind they could get to help them find a way to stop the Reapers, so it looked like she would have to do this mission whether she liked it or not.

"So where's this prison located?" she asked.

"_It's hidden underground at a Batarian outpost on Aratoht, in the Bahak System in the Viper Nebula,"_ said Hackett. _"I'll upload the co-ordinates now. Once she's secure, confirm her discovery. We'll debrief you when you're back. One other thing; we dispatched the Spartan John-117 to the system with Halsey, to keep an eye on her, more than anything. Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez informs me that he hasn't reported in for several days. If you can, find out if something's happened to him."_

"Got it," said Shepard.

"_Hackett out,"_ finished Hackett, his face fading from the screen. When he was gone, Shepard let out a small groan. She didn't trust Spartans, and now she learned that she was not only looking for one, but had been roped into rescuing the creator of the Spartans, the woman responsible for a list of war crimes as long as her arm. She informed Joker of their next stop, and headed to her armour locker, confident that the day could not possibly get any worse.

0

A heavy storm was in progress over the prison complex on the garden world of Aratoht. The Kodiak shuttles on the _Normandy_ had rudimentary stealth systems and were auto-piloted by on-board virtual intelligences. It was enough to get Shepard close to the complex without being spotted. She felt that the grey skies and rain summed up the grey-walled prison complex, and indeed the Batarian Hegemony, perfectly; oppressive, cold, and cruel.

As she stepped off the shuttle, it took off back into the sky. She was standing by a small service entrance, well away from the main gates of the complex. By using a bypass program on her Omni-Tool she was able to hack the door and get it open. She drew her assault rifle, stepping slowly into the dark, dank corridors of the base. Most of the pathways were sealed off by iron bars, and rainwater leaked through the ceiling in several spots. The concrete walls were chipped and cracked, and the floors broken and uneven. There had to have been seismic activity at the base at some point, at parts of the floor had collapsed and had to be bridged with unstable iron girders. Even by prison standards, Shepard felt the place was run-down. Across the bridge and around the corner she was suddenly assaulted by varren, large reptilian creatures that resembled dogs with large fish-eyes. A few shots from the rifle put the ravenous beast down, but Shepard knew that she could not afford many more mistakes like this lest she was spotted.

_The Batarians must send their prisoners down here to die,_ she thought to herself. _I've got to find Dr. Halsey now!_

She proceeded down the corridors and up a flight of stairs, the walls gradually changed from concrete to metal. Then Shepard froze, as she suddenly heard muffled voices above her:

"Get the human into questioning," the gruff, growling voice of a Batarian guard said.

"Get your hands off me!" a female's voice said with a cold, defiant edge to it. This had to be Dr. Halsey, and if what Shepard knew of Batarian interrogation techniques was anything to go by, then she didn't have much time.

Moving as quickly as she dared to, past an array of rusted pipes that pumped gas through the facility, she eventually found herself in a small locker room. Picking up a small datapad from the table, she activated the personal log that was recorded on it:

"_I hear humans are scurrying like vermin out in the asteroid belt. Is anywhere safe from them? We should arm a mission to flush 'em all out."_

To Shepard, that summed up Batarian attitudes perfectly; paranoid, vicious, and full of a deep-seated hatred for anything that wasn't them. She doubted that many in the galaxy would weep if they were wiped out by the Reapers the next day, and there would be no chance of gaining their support, given their isolationist attitudes. No wonder nobody in the UNSC had shared their discoveries, whatever they were, with the Hegemony.

Trying to return her mind the task at hand, she worked her way through, past the iron girders and into a metal corridor which had to come from a newer part of the facility. It seemed to have been built up over time, from the foundations that she had just explored all the way to the present advancements before her. As she reached a ramp that led further upstairs, she crouched behind the wall as she heard more voices.

"They wanted to slam an asteroid into the Mass Relay," a Batarian guard was saying.

"Can they even do that?" his partner asked, incredulous.

"What difference does it make?" the first guard replied. "We caught 'em." As Shepard slowly moved up the ramp, she found that the voices were coming from the other side of a locked door. "They've still got her down in the prison," the guard continued.

"I'd just kill her," the second guard grunted. "Interrogating a human's a waste of time."

The top of the ramp led to a small kitchen, with a door that led back outside. Crouching low behind the various crates scattered about the open-air courtyard, she saw several Batarians on guard. Luckily they didn't spot her, and the heavy rain hid the sound of her footsteps, so she moved slowly on. Ducking into the largest building at the other side of the complex, Shepard heard more voices coming from a recreation room, filled with chairs and various strange Batarian entertainments.

"No way it would have worked," one guard grunted as Shepard crouched behind the door to listen. "Relays can't be damaged, much less destroyed."

"There're three hundred thousand people in this colony," another guard ranted. "Those humans will do anything to destroy us, I swear."

"We have to make this one an example to the others," the first guard said. "We can't respond kindly to terrorists."

Shepard pressed on, reaching the upper level of a small hangar bay, her mind swimming with questions. Was Halsey really trying to slam an asteroid into a Mass Relay? What would she even hope to accomplish with such a thing? If she was trying to do so, however, it was small wonder that the Batarians were thinking of her as a terrorist. Then again, many out there were likely to consider Halsey a terrorist, after all she had done...

"I heard an artefact was found in that asteroid belt," a Batarian voice said from the hangar below, bringing Shepard back to her senses. "Think the humans got it?"

"If they did," replied his companion, "they'd have swarmed in and put flags all over it."

Trying to drown out the hearty guffaws of the Batarians, Shepard crossed into the next room, and was able to lower herself from the gantry to the ground floor by climbing down some stacked cargo containers. A large cargo elevator led her down below the ground level once again, and into a small security office. The way forward was blocked by a laser barrier, which would surely be fatal to the touch. She traced the power cables from the barrier to a small power box on the wall. After she had opened the box she raised her Omni-Tool to hack the controls inside. While she waited, she listened to the security log:

"_Our comm. buoy intercepts paid off. We picked up a message to the UNSC coming from somewhere in the asteroid belt. We listened to the feed until we discovered an operation run by a human named Halsey; she was smuggling engine parts and guidance systems into the system from Omega. We intercepted Halsey's vessel and took her and her people into custody. Interrogation has produced nothing but frenzied rambling so far."_

It seemed that none of the prisoners had cracked under the strain of interrogation, so the Batarians remained as much in the dark about what Halsey was up to as the UNSC was. There was a beeping noise coming from the power box, and then the laser barrier shut down. Moving beyond the barrier, she found herself outside what appeared to be a viewing chamber, with a large window on one wall looking into an interrogation room. Crouching behind a large crate, Shepard overheard the voices of more guards.

"This one's apparently the mastermind," one of them was saying.

"If she doesn't talk, kill her," grunted his companion.

Deciding that enough was enough, and that she had to act quickly, she quietly sneaked into the room, holstering her rifle. Neither of the guards turned around, continuing to peer through the window into the interrogation room beyond. She was able to sneak right behind the nearest guard and grabbed him, swiftly breaking his neck. The other guard turned to see what was going on, but Shepard struck him in the windpipe, crushing his throat and bringing him to the floor, where he met the same fate as his partner. Once they were down, she was able to peer into the interrogation room, where she saw Dr. Halsey herself, her iron-grey hair now somewhat dishevelled and wearing grubby prisoner overalls. She was strapped into what looked like a metal cage, and a small laser emitter was pointed at her forehead, ready to shoot should she give an answer the interrogator didn't like. Monitors in the viewing room watched Halsey from all angles. There seemed to be no activity in the room at present, with the interrogator typing something into his datapad, so Shepard listened to another security log:

"_The humans still won't tell us where their base is. No way we'll find it even if we scan every asteroid out there. I wonder if those humans actually found something. No torture is too great if it gets that information out of them."_

Inside the security room, the interrogator had once again turned to Halsey. His voice came through on the intercom:

"_I'll ask you again,"_ he growled. _"Where is your base?!"_

"_You're wasting time, you four-eyed simpleton!"_ Halsey barked, looking utterly defiant. _"The Reapers are coming!"_

"_The Reapers are coming here,"_ repeated the guard sarcastically. _"To this relay."_

"_Every moment you keep me here brings them closer,"_ said Halsey.

"_So I should let you go destroy the relay then?"_ asked the interrogator, shaking his head. _"Just destroy this system?"_

"_Do what you want to me, Batarian. Torturing me won't save you."_

"_No,"_ the guard said, with a horrible leer. _"But it will amuse me."_

Deciding that she had heard enough, Shepard ran around the corner and opened the door to the interrogation room, just as the torture device crackled, beginning to power up. Turning to see who had entered, the interrogator found himself meeting Shepard's fist as she battered him to the floor, beating him into unconsciousness. Halsey's eyes flickered over to Shepard and she regarded her with a frosty glare.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Dr. Halsey?" said the Commander, stepping behind the rack which Halsey was strapped to. "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to get you out."

"Commander Shepard?" asked Halsey. "Yes, I've heard a lot about you. Hackett and Knight couldn't stop talking about you. Apparently you've give Telek 'Heros himself a run for his money as a miracle worker."

"We're not safe here," said Shepard, manipulating her Omni-Tool to hack the controls to the restraints. "Can you walk?"

After a few seconds the metal restraints were released. Halsey staggered off the rack and onto the main floor of the cell, looking rather weak. She held onto the frame of the cage as she shook herself, trying to regain the feeling in her legs.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just give me a moment."

"We have to go," said Shepard, shaking her head. "Now."

"If we can find a console," said Halsey, "I can hack security and make us an escape route." All of a sudden a siren sounded all around the base, almost deafening the pair. Gritting her teeth and drawing her assault rifle, Shepard pressed herself against the wall, the sound of footsteps in the hall getting louder.

"Then we'll find one," she said. "Come on!"

Halsey stooped to pick up a pistol from the guard's unconscious body. Loading it with a flourish, she hissed, "Ready."

"_The ringleader escaped!"_ the guards yelled over the intercom as they began to fill the hall. _"Get your asses out there and stop them!"_

At that moment, the hall was filled with gunfire as squads of guards opened fire. It soon became apparent that they would never get out the way Shepard had come, so she led the way down another passage deeper into the cell block. Down a ramp and through a door they found themselves in a large circular chamber, with a deep shaft in the middle of it. More guards were in the room, but were quickly cut down under a hail of gunfire. A small security office was in there, and upon noticing the console Halsey ran up to it and began to manipulate the controls. Clearly this was the type of console she was looking for.

"They know we're here," she barked. "Keep them off me while I hack us a way out!"

"_Suppression teams to cell block!"_ a voice barked over the intercom. _"Now!"_

As quickly as she could, Shepard sprinted to the door they had entered from and slammed her fist into the control console, causing it to slam shut as more bullets whizzed past her. She was then forced to dive for cover behind a large metal pipe as more bullets were fired, coming from the shaft. The Batarians were raising themselves into the chamber through small elevator platforms.

"Unlocking all doors to the hangar," Halsey called. "Still need more time."

Shepard gritted her teeth, wanting to tell Halsey that time was a luxury they didn't have. She opened fire on the guards, cutting down several of them in a hail of assault rifle fire. As the frantic gunfight drew on, Halsey called out her status with the hacking, mentioning that she was bringing down the orbital tracking network, and also having the annoying habit of telling Shepard where to shoot. To Shepard's mind, it was like going into combat with a particularly fussy mother. In the end, she tried to drown out Halsey's voice as she focused on shooting down any guards that tried to ambush them.

"That did it!" Halsey finally called after the last of the approaching guards had dropped dead. "Let's move!" An elevator lowered from the top of the shaft, stopping just in front of Shepard. She and Halsey ran onto it, and rode it upwards, their senses heightened for any sign of approaching guards. "Oh, and one last thing," the scientist said. "The hangar doors are hard-locked. We'll have to get those open the old-fashioned way."

"Leave that to me," Shepard muttered. The elevator stopped just outside the hangar bay. Several Kodiak shuttles were inside, just waiting to be hijacked. More guards ran into the hangar, forcing Shepard to dive from parked vehicle to parked vehicle, with Halsey providing covering fire. She shot out the hard-locks on the hangar doors, which were surprisingly fragile, and the doors sprang open.

As the last of the guards was gunned down, Shepard noticed that the floor was soaked in what appeared to be petrol. The shuttle that she and Halsey decided to take allowed for manual piloting, so Shepard steered it safely out of the hangar bay. As it flew out, the flame from the jets struck the oil, setting it alight and instantly immolating a squad of guards that had dashed into the room.

Neither Shepard nor Halsey breathed easily until they were well away from Aratoht. Shepard wanted to return to UNSC space immediately, as she didn't feel safe so deep into Batarian space. She set the autopilot to take them to the system's Mass Relay, then sat opposite Halsey as the shuttle sped onwards through the void. The scientist regarded Shepard with a steely expression in the low light of the cabin, her hands clasped together. She radiated coldness and a feeling of absolutely no empathy; Shepard began to think that it was no wonder the Spartans turned out the way they did, since they were so much like their creator.

"We should be well out of range before they get their security measures unscrambled," said Halsey.

"Do you think they'll come after you?" asked Shepard.

"I'm not taking any chances," said Halsey. "Batarians don't take kindly to humans who plan to destroy their Mass Relays."

"So the charges against you are true," said Shepard, folding her arms.

"Well," said Halsey, shrugging, "to be fair, that's about half the story. My people and I were here investigating rumours of Reaper technology out in the fringes of this system."

"I guess you found something."

"We found proof that the Reapers will be arriving in this system," said Halsey. She turned to look out of the window, where the enormous Mass Relay, resembling a gleaming metal tuning fork with a glowing blue Element Zero core, floated serenely against the star-strewn backdrop. "When they get here, they'll use its Mass Relay to travel throughout the galaxy. We call it the 'Alpha Relay'. From here, the Reapers can invade anywhere in the galaxy."

"So you decided to destroy it," said Shepard.

"Exactly," replied Halsey, in a tone that suggested she was proud of her idea. "Doing that would delay the Reapers' invasion. Even at FTL speeds, it would be months before they reached the next relay. We came up with what we just called 'the Project'; a plan to launch a nearby asteroid into the relay and destroy it before the Reapers could arrive." She waved her hand dismissively. "Of course the resulting explosion would probably wipe out the system."

"How did you plan to launch an asteroid into a Mass Relay?" asked Shepard.

"Moving an asteroid just requires thrust and guidance," shrugged Halsey, "both of which are readily available in Omega's salvage yards. Get the right amount of power, and a good VI to drive it, and you can just point and shoot."

"I've always heard that Mass Relays are indestructible," said Shepard, shaking her head.

"I heard that too," replied Halsey. "But I think it's more that nobody's willing to find out what happens when one is destroyed. And, well..." She paused for a moment, smiling at Shepard as if the Commander was simple. "We planned to slam a small planet into the thing at very high speeds. By my calculations, that's more than enough."

"Why do you think destroying the Mass Relay would destroy the entire system?" asked Shepard.

"Mass Relays are the most powerful Mass Effect engines in the known galaxy," said Halsey. "Even in my short time back in the UNSC I realised this fact. The energy released from a relay's destruction would resemble a supernova. This is a remote system, but just over 300,000 Batarians live on the colony where they held us. The explosion would undoubtedly kill them all." She didn't sound too bothered at the prospect of killing hundreds of thousands of people, causing Shepard to look disgusted and very uncomfortable with her fellow passenger.

"Is the Project still operational?" she asked.

"I imagine it is," said Halsey. "We were one button press away from launch when the Batarians arrested me."

"So how were you caught?" asked Shepard.

"We've been smuggling starship parts from Omega," said Halsey. "Thrusters, guidance, an aftermarket Eezo core. The Batarians thought that looked suspicious. A few days ago, I took a few of the men on a scouting trip, and the Batarians pounced on us. They never found our actual base."

"I still don't see how you learned about this supposed invasion," said Shepard, leaning forward in her chair. That was the one thing that she did not understand in this whole sorry affair.

"The evidence came from what we call 'Object Rho'," said Halsey, "a Reaper artefact we discovered among the asteroids near the relay itself. When we get back into UNSC space, I'll explain everything and provide copies of all of our notes on the artefact."

"How exactly does a Reaper artefact give you proof of an impending invasion?" asked Shepard, looking sceptical.

"It showed me visions of the Reapers' arrival..." said Halsey, closing her eyes. "Much like your Forerunner beacon, I'd wager." Her eyes snapped open and she regarded Shepard with those same cold eyes. "The Reapers are coming, Commander. That much I know for certain."

"What's a Reaper artefact doing in an asteroid?" asked Shepard, shuffling about on her chair.

"We don't know," said Halsey, shaking her head, "or even what its purpose was. Some things are just too old or large to comprehend. According to your reports from the Collector incident, even a Reaper thousands of years dead contains power. Their artefacts are worthy of study, regardless of their purpose." At this point, Shepard was beginning to get uncomfortably reminded of the Illusive Man, and how he tried to get his hands on Reaper technology that he could turn against its masters.

"If you're working near a Reaper artefact," said Shepard, folding her arms, "how have you avoided indoctrination?" She was thinking of the insidious method of mind control that all Reapers and their technology could use to gradually bend someone to their will.

"We've been very careful," said Halsey, frowning. "I know what I'm dealing with. You're not speaking to a child, Shepard; Kiryuu Knight showed me the face of their creator. I saw what Sovereign did to the Citadel. Trust me; I know what's at stake."

"Well, these stakes are too high," said Shepard, leaning forward, her green eyes peering into Halsey's blue ones. "If you were willing to destroy a whole system over this, I want to see your proof."

"I guess I can't argue with that," said Halsey, shaking her head. "Give me a moment." She walked over to the shuttle's communicator and opened a comm. channel. "This is Halsey to Project Base."

"_Good to hear your voice, Doctor,"_ a female voice responded on the other end. _"You coming home?"_

"Affirmative, Kelly," said Halsey. "And I've got Commander Shepard with me."

"_Shepard?"_ asked Kelly, sounding rather uneasy. _"Really?"_

"Tidy up the lab," said Halsey. "The Commander needs to confirm the artefact."

"_Right,"_ said Kelly. _"I'll get everything set up for your arrival. Project Base out."_ After Kelly had signed off, Halsey made some adjustments to the autopilot, now setting it to take the shuttle to a point somewhere in the asteroid field near the relay. She sat back down opposite Shepard, nodding but losing none of the frostiness to her character.

"All set," she said. "Just sit back and relax. We'll be there in no time."

Shepard tried to sit back in her chair, but the attitude of her current company, combined with the news of the monstrous plans she had been formulating, meant that she found the journey to Project Base anything but relaxing.


	2. Hearts of Darkness

**Hearts of Darkness**

Less than an hour later, the shuttle approached the fateful asteroid that Dr. Halsey had chosen for her plan. It was a large, featureless lump of rock, slightly larger than the Alpha Relay, which floated serenely in the void. The shuttle swooped over a small complex built into the rock, consisting of a number of hastily-constructed buildings connected by a series of glass-covered tubes. On some of the rocky outcrops gigantic turbines could be seen, doubtless the propulsion systems intended to push the asteroid over the distance of millions of miles to reach the relay. The more Shepard thought about this plan the less likely it seemed that it would work, even if Halsey seemed confident. In fact, given the scale and audacity of the doctor's plan and the ramifications of it, she wasn't so sure if she wanted it to work at all.

A small hangar bay opened, and the shuttle came to rest on the floor inside. Once it was safe to do so, both Shepard and Halsey stepped out of the craft. Halsey looked even more confident now that she was back at the base; in fact, she looked positively relieved.

"Here we are," she said, indicating the door into the complex itself. "Welcome to Project Base." Shepard looked at her, and noticed a chronometer had been placed just above the door, but one that was counting down.

"What's this?" she asked.

"That's our countdown to Arrival," said Halsey. "When that gets to zero... the Reapers will have come." Shepard noticed that there were only two days and about three and a half hours left on the timer. "Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

"How do you know this is accurate?" asked Shepard, shaking her head and looking uneasy.

"It is," said Halsey abruptly, almost sounding insulted that Shepard would suggest otherwise. "The artefact has been giving off pulses at definite intervals since we found it. The intervals have been decreasing at a steady rate. The artefact is reacting to the Reapers' proximity." She folded her arms and peered up at the countdown. "In just over forty-eight hours, the pulses will become constant, and the Reapers will be here." She sounded so passionate, so sincere about this statement that Shepard couldn't help but buy into her argument. Even if Halsey was wrong, as far as the Reapers were concerned, it did not pay to take chances.

"Then we've got no time to waste," she said.

"Then let's show you that proof," said Halsey. She led the way through the door and down a narrow corridor into a small lobby area, filled with sofas, potted plants and a large window overlooking the mountainous landscape. Here she saw several scientists and soldiers milling about, seemingly taking a break from their work.

"So what would it take to get the project up and running?" asked Shepard, as they crossed the recreation area.

"Everything was in place when we were arrested," said Halsey. "It wasn't a question of 'could we', but 'should we'."

"What alternative do we have?" asked Shepard. Halsey had the led way into a large stairwell, the windows on the right giving an overview of the main laboratory. Shepard thought she could see the tops of several long, spindly arms of a purple-black colour.

"The Reapers will reach this system, regardless," said Halsey, leading the pair to a small elevator. "But the Alpha Relay is their shortcut to the rest of the galaxy. If you want to keep the Reapers at bay, this relay must be destroyed."

"How many staff do you have here?" asked Shepard, the elevator slowly moving down to the ground level.

"My own hand-picked science team," said Halsey, "a large security force, and a team of Spartans for good measure. I brought in the survivors of Blue Team to help. I trust nobody but the best in keeping this project safe." When the elevator was on the ground floor, Shepard saw one of the aforementioned Spartans standing guard outside a locked door, wearing standard MJOLNIR armour. This armour had an insignia shaped like a rabbit painted onto the breastplate. The Spartan's helmet was removed, and a brown-haired female saluted Halsey as the doctor approached.

"Good to see you're still in one piece, ma'am," she said.

"Good to see you too, Kelly," she said. "May I introduce Commander Kaelyn Shepard. She's here to confirm the validity of Object Rho."

"So you're Shepard, eh?" said Kelly, regarding the soldier with her deep-set eyes. "I've heard all about you; the hero of the Citadel and the only person to survive a trip through the Omega 4 Relay. The Spartans could use someone like you in their ranks."

"Aren't I too old to sign up now?" asked Shepard, folding her arms and her expression going dark.

"Not for the Spartan-IVs, you ain't," said Kelly, unperturbed. "They're all adult volunteers now."

"Somewhat less effective, if you ask me," muttered Halsey, narrowing her eyes. "But I'm in no position to argue the matter with alien bureaucrats."

"Anyway," said Kelly, "the central lab's ready for inspection any time, Commander."

"Before I go in," said Shepard, "I heard John-117 was here. Do you know where he is? He hasn't reported back to the UNSC lately."

"He's overseeing matters on the other side of the base," said Kelly, nudging her thumb down the corridor. "You'll see him soon enough. I expect the reason he hasn't reported in is that Halsey's been keeping us all working our asses off."

Halsey chose not to dignify that statement with an answer. Instead, she moved to the door's control panel and proceeded to enter the security code.

"We have to get the project running again," said Shepard, looking grim. "It's probably the only chance we have. We also need to start contacting the Batarian colonists, arrange evacuation procedures. If you've got proof of the invasion, they can't ignore it."

The door slid open, admitting entrance into the main lab. Inside, surrounded only by a simple guard rail, was a metal sculpture that looked like several arms reaching up to the ceiling. To Shepard's mind it resembled the petals of a large flower, made out of a purple-black metal, with blue lights shining on its surface. In the centre of it was what looked like Element Zero, shining and rippling inside, a soft humming noise filling the chamber.

"Commander Shepard," said Halsey, her arms outstretched as if to embrace the sculpture, "I give you Object Rho."

"You have the Reaper artefact just sitting here, out in the open?!" Shepard gasped, her eyes going wide. This had to be some kind of mistake; surely the scientists here wouldn't be so lax when handling Reaper technology?!

"When we found it," said Halsey, looking completely unconcerned, "it showed me a vision of the Reapers' arrival."

"Halsey," said Shepard, very worried, "this is not good."

"Give it a moment, Shepard," said the doctor, staring at the artefact as slivers of Eezo began to crawl on its surface. "It'll give you the proof you need."

Shepard felt at that moment as if all she wanted to do was run, to get off this asteroid and warn the galaxy about what Halsey had done. However, she suddenly recoiled, feeling as if she had been hit in the face with a sledgehammer. A wave of Eezo washed over her, and she fell to her knees as she felt as if her head was about to split open. She was reminded of how she felt when she was struck by the energy from the beacon on Eden Prime, the one that carried the Forerunners' final warning, but a hundred times worse. She seethed and trembled as she saw the cuttlefish-shaped Reapers filling her vision, swarming all over the Alpha Relay, and from there spreading out to the far reaches of the galaxy, with Earth as their first target...

It was all over in less than a few seconds, but felt like an eternity to Shepard. Trying to stop herself from shaking, she began to stagger to her feet. It was then that she heard a click from her side, and turned her head to find Halsey standing over her with a cold fury, her pistol raised and pointing right at Shepard's head.

"I can't let you start the Project, Shepard," the doctor said. "I can't let you stop the Arrival."

If there had been any doubt in Shepard's mind before, there was none left now. Halsey was definitely indoctrinated, brainwashed by the energies from this Reaper artefact. Footsteps sounded all around them, and Halsey was distracted by the sight of several armed guards entering the room from the opposite door. With a great amount of effort, Shepard stood up and pushed Halsey aside, knocking her gun out of her hands. She was forced to dive for cover as the marines opened fire on her. Shepard doubted that anyone in the base retained their free will now; they were all puppets of the Reapers and their monstrous creator.

"Take her down!" barked Halsey, running out of the room as Shepard returned fire, the door sealing shut behind her. As Shepard gunned down two of the soldiers who had tried to flank her, she felt her heart ache. These were fellow UNSC marines she was shooting, and there was no telling how long they had been there to get completely indoctrinated. It would have started as just vague whispers, a feeling in the back of their minds that they couldn't put their finger on. Over time those voices would get louder, they would find the suggestions more persuasive, until finally they believed in the Reapers completely. She saw it happen before with Saren, and now she cursed the Reapers and their creator for forcing her into this situation, as more soldiers flooded into the lab trying to pin her down. She stayed on the move when she could, shooting and ducking, but more and more of them swarmed in.

"_Don't make this difficult, Shepard!"_ Halsey said over the intercom. _"We don't want to hurt you, Commander. Lay down your weapons!"_ In the midst of all of this, she saw Object Rho in the centre of the room, the glowing lights on its surface becoming more intense and ripples of Eezo running up and down the petal-like formations. As she tried to focus on the fighting, she could hear a grand, deep, sinister voice taunting her:

"_Do not resist, Shepard. Give yourself over and be spared. Your galaxy is in sight. Your final days are at hand."_

Suddenly, as Shepard raised her rifle to fire upon the marines again, the area seemed to explode with a blue light, a shockwave of Eezo rippling away from Object Rho and coating every surface in the room. Shepard found herself being thrown backwards, slamming into the back wall. She crumpled to the floor, dazed and weary, feeling as if all of her strength had been suddenly drained out of her. She grunted as she tried to push herself up, but her arms gave way, dropping her to the floor again. She felt a horrible paralysing sensation seem to engulf her body, until she could scarcely move her head. She peered up as a shadow fell across her, her vision starting to blur, and when she saw what was standing over her she nearly yelled out loud.

Dr. Halsey was kneeling down before her, peering at her with a satisfied leer. Instead of the icy blue eyes that Shepard had seen before, however, now the scientist's eyes were burning the colour of a deep blood red, with reptilian slits for pupils. As the other guards clustered around her, their rifles trained on Shepard, their eyes too were the same way, those terrible red eyes that seemed to burn into the commander's very soul. As Shepard's vision faded and she felt the last of her strength leave her, she heard Halsey speak in a frightening mix between her voice, and the voice that she heard from Object Rho, the same terrible voice of the demon that created the Reapers:

"_Take her to the med bay and patch her up. I want Shepard alive."_

0

_The bare trees grew as tall as skyscrapers, rising far up into the leaden sky. A soft breeze blew through the forest, carrying the golden-brown autumn leaves on them as they fluttered and swooped to the ground. The branches from those great trees seemed to cross over her head, until they resembled gothic archways. In spite of the fact that leaves were blowing around her, she could not feel a breeze. As she stood in the middle of the leaf-covered forest floor, the trees stretching for miles in all directions, she could not shake off the vague feeling that she had seen this place before. No-one was around; in fact, there was no sign of life anywhere, not even the sounds of animals or birds. This forest was dead, and so was everything else in it. She had the horrible feeling that, if she stayed here any longer, she too would end up the same way._

_Shepard ran along the winding paths through the trees, trying not to trip on the gnarled roots. Her running speed was strangely slow, as if someone had placed lead weights in her legs. She couldn't tell exactly how long she had been running for, but however long it was she didn't feel as if she had gotten anywhere. The forest just seemed to stretch into infinity, never letting her leave. As she looked around her, into the trees, she thought she could see figures moving all around her, or at least faint outlines of figures. No features could be made out; they only seemed to be made of an inky blackness that rippled like oil on water. In the darkness of the forest she thought she could hear the sound of a distant angry foghorn, and the sounds of the mocking, leering laughter of children._

_After what seemed to be hours, she felt as if she could run no more. She was intensely weary, footsore, hungry and thirsty, barely able to stagger through the trees around her. As if in answer to her silent prayers of rest, a wooden bench came into view behind the remains of a large, burnt tree. It was finely-polished and with iron arm-rests. The way Shepard was feeling, she could not even bring herself to question the presence of this bench. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to sit down, and she did so, panting heavily from the running. Looking upwards, the sky was still black with leaden clouds. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed in this place with no day or night. The leaves continued to gently tumble to the ground. One fell on Shepard's lap, and she was disturbed to see red marks on it that were not natural colourings. They looked more like drops of blood. Trying not to think about the disturbing implications of this, she closed her eyes. She thought she could hear voices mentioning her name close by, but she felt so exhausted that all she wanted to do was sleep..._

0

"... looked like Shepard was waking up a moment ago, but it could be a glitch in the system."

That was the first thing she heard as her vision began to clear. As she blinked a few times trying to focus her view, she found that she was laying on a hard surface, in what looked like a small infirmary with plain white walls. As she groaned and turned her head, she saw a woman wearing a white UNSC lab coat, holding a datapad, and now looking at Shepard with a horrified expression. Apparently she had been in the middle of recording a medical log.

"No glitch!" the woman said in disbelief as Shepard sat upright. "The sedatives aren't working!" She turned and began to run out of the room, past the two armoured marines standing guard. "Security!"

The voice brought Shepard back to her senses. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but the recollection of all that had come before hit her like a tidal wave. She remembered Halsey, Object Rho, that voice and those terrible red eyes. Worst of all, she remembered the Alpha Relay, and the imminent arrival of the Reapers. She couldn't be too late...

Without hesitation, the strength in her quickly returning, she sprang off the table and charged right at the guards. They were so surprised that she was awake that she had already pushed past them and was out in the antechamber. She struck one guard and knocked him out. The other tried to fire his rifle, but the shot went wild as Shepard punched him, sending him to the floor. The scientist had retreated to the observation area and now tried to fire at her with her pistol, but Shepard grabbed an assault rifle from one of the fallen guards and cut her down.

Panting hard, Shepard now realised that she had been stripped of her armour and weapons. She was wearing nothing but the black undergarments that she normally wore under her equipment. She spotted some equipment lockers by the door, one of which required a security card to access. Hoping that that was where her gear was contained, she searched the scientist's body and pulled out her ID tag. As she did so, she spotted a datapad that looked as if it might hold a personal log, and switched it on. It was dated from about two weeks ago.

"_The Project is nearly complete,"_ Halsey's voice was saying. _"I thought I'd feel a sense of accomplishment, but instead... I feel dread. I can't help but think we're doing something terrible."_

It seemed clear from this research log that Halsey had been in the initial stages of indoctrination. She must have believed that she could resist its effects, but Shepard knew that even the strongest will capitulated to the Reapers' will sooner or later. Shaking her head, she went to the locker and, mercifully, it opened with the use of the key card. Inside were her black N7 armour and her weapons, which she wasted no time in strapping on.

"_Shepard's escaped!"_ came Halsey's voice over the intercom all of a sudden. _"All available personnel to the medical wing! Do not let her activate the Project!"_

As Shepard was about to step through the door, she turned and saw another room in the med bay. She felt an odd coldness coming from this room, as if the temperature in there was different from the rest of the station. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she saw an operational cryo-tube, like the kind used to keep crew suspended in cryogenic sleep in the early days of long space flight. It had not been in use long, as the glass on the front had yet to freeze over. Peering into the tube, she was surprised to see a Spartan inside, wearing green MJOLNIR armour that looked like it had seen many battles, as it was scratched and dented in a few areas. Like all Spartan helmets, an opaque orange visor obstructed any view of the Spartan's face.

Shepard wondered if this was the missing Spartan, John-117. She knew that the UNSC wanted him back, but after everything she had seen she didn't know if it was worth the risk of releasing another potentially indoctrinated soldier. On the other hand, if he was indoctrinated, then he would be running around the base with the others. She knew that she had to stop the indoctrinated forces and activate the Project, but she stood there agonising for a second, wondering if she could do it alone...

0

_He wasn't supposed to show emotion. It went against everything he had been taught, everything that he had been conditioned to prepare for. Emotions, letting your heart rule your decisions, led to mistakes, which led to yourself or others getting killed. His training as a Spartan had pushed all emotions away, enabling him to concentrate on his duty as a soldier. Being on a battlefield made it even easier to focus._

_However, one day two years ago, he had found himself on the Citadel, at the behest of Cortana, the artificial intelligence who he had come to regard as his partner for several years. She was coming to the end of her life, descending into Rampancy, literally thinking herself to death. She had been displaying signs of it for several weeks, signs which, if he was being honest with himself, unnerved him. All those times on the battlefield he had not shown fear or nerves. Now, however, he had come to realise that he was worried about Cortana. He knew that she was nearing the end of her operational lifespan, as all AIs must, but some small part of him didn't want to believe it, wanted to protest the injustice of it all. The worst of it was he didn't know if he should repress that part of him._

"_John..."she had whispered from deep inside his armour, as he stopped outside the office of Kiryuu Knight, the only AI ever to survive Rampancy. He knew that the biomecha had gone by many names and titles; President and Ambassador, to name two. To Cortana, however, he was simply known as Grandfather. She was requesting to interface with him. She couldn't show herself in the Citadel; technically she wasn't even supposed to be there. These new aliens that they were allied with had outlawed AIs. The return to the Source was supposed to be top-secret. However, he allowed the connection through. He saw her displayed inside his visor, keeping herself stable, the picture of mingled kindness and sorrow on her holographic face a welcome change from the screaming and muttering that she had displayed for some time._

"_John..." she said sweetly. "You realise that there's no coming back for me, where I'm going..." She closed her eyes, seemingly on the verge of crying. "I just had speak to you – see the real you - this one last time."_

"_Cortana..." John muttered, shaking his head. "There's gotta be another way. There was always another way!"_

"_John..." replied Cortana, then went silent. She looked at him with the greatest of pity. What John had said just now was so uncharacteristic of him. Spartans were supposed to accept these things as a matter of course. John turned away from the door to Knight's office, now, for the first time in his life that he could recall, feeling unsure about whether he had to move forward._

"_... It was my job to take care of you," he said._

"_We were supposed to take care of each other..." said Cortana, softly. "And we did!" She sniffed, looking at him sadly. "I'm going to go now. You know what has to be done..."_

"_Cortana..." the Master Chief mumbled, as Cortana faded from view. "Please... Wait..."_

_He couldn't hear her voice any longer. Trying to regain the composure more befitting a soldier, he went through into the office, handing Cortana back to her Grandfather. He didn't stop to say goodbye. Perhaps she would understand why that was, for the same reason she had cut off the communication the way she had. Not only due to the aforementioned legal issues surrounding AIs, but any longer than that and it would have only made it harder for him to focus... harder to let her go..._

_He replayed this memory and other memories of her as he slept. It was either that or be subjected to the figures of darkness, the oil-like shadows that tried to surround him. Even though she was no longer with him, it seemed that she was still keeping the darkness away from him. She had saved his life so many times, and he knew that there was no adequate way he could ever repay her._

_He could not say how much time had passed since he had slipped into this state, but now, as a white light began to fill his vision, he felt warmth return to his body, and a hissing sound reached his ears._

0

Mist heavily flowed out of the cryo-tube and coated the floor as the glass and metal lid rose. Shepard considered herself lucky that the controls were not difficult to hack using an Omni-Tool. She wasn't convinced that this was a good idea – there was no telling what kind of damage Object Rho had done to this soldier – but she didn't see what options she had. If she was to stop Halsey, she needed help. The Spartan stirred, the effects of the cryo-sleep quickly wearing off, and he rose and swung his legs around, sitting on the side of the tube. He coughed for a moment, taking in gulps of air, though Shepard was sure his breathing was restricted somehow by that helmet. He then tilted his head to look right into Shepard's eyes (at least she assumed he was; it was difficult to tell with the opaque visor on the helmet).

"Are you Master Chief Petty Officer John-117?" asked Shepard, her arms folded.

"Yes, ma'am," the Spartan grunted in reply, getting to his feet. Shepard noticed the helmet tilt in the direction of the N7 logo on her chestplate.

"I'm Commander Kaelyn Shepard," she said. "SCPO Mendez said you were sent here to keep an eye on things. I can see why you didn't report in, but how did you end up in there?"

"I went to validate Dr. Halsey's findings when I arrived," said John, his voice blank and not betraying any hint of emotion. "I saw what Dr. Halsey calls Object Rho, but it released some kind of field that overloaded my shields. The feedback must have knocked me out, for the next thing I knew I was waking up here."

"Are you familiar with the Reapers, and their process of indoctrination?" asked Shepard. "Do you know about the Project taking place here?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've read the files."

"Then you'll understand what it is I need you to do," said Shepard, looking very grave. "I need to activate the Project and destroy the Alpha Relay, but everyone in the base is indoctrinated. I need your help if I'm to stop the Reapers from using that Relay." She looked up at the chronometer by the door, and with a start she saw that less than two hours remained until the Arrival. She had been unconscious for two whole days. "We don't have much time," said Shepard, cracking her knuckles as the sounds of footsteps became audible outside the door. "We have to get this asteroid moving and get the hell out of here." She grabbed a spare assault rifle from the locker and prepared it.

"Shooting UNSC officers is going to lead to a lot of awkward questions, ma'am," said John, approaching her. Shepard turned to look at him with a hard, penetrating glare.

"Believe me," she said, "you'll be doing them a favour." She handed the rifle to John, who took it tightly in his hands. Shepard knew that she was asking a lot of him, especially as he was a Spartan and likely disinclined to attack others in the UNSC, but she knew that neither of them could afford to let that get to them, not when everyone in the base would be trying to kill them. Suddenly the door opened, and two soldiers immediately opened fire on her. She dived for cover and fired back, bringing both soldiers to the floor.

"Come on!" she barked at John, who followed her out of the med bay and into a circular corridor. This tube was on the side of the base, and half of it seemed to be made entirely of glass, which looked out over the dusty landscape with the star-strewn sky. It seemed to be late afternoon, as the light from the Bahak star bathed the area in a dim glow.

"_Tomas, Maxwell, report!"_ Kelly's voice suddenly barked over the intercom as Shepard and John made their way through the external walkways.

"_Shepard's past them,"_ Halsey replied. _"All personnel, get in there! Secure the Project Control Room!"_

When the two escapees reached what looked like the living quarters, filled with sofas, bookshelves and potted plants, they found a squad of marines waiting for them. Forced to take shelter from a hail of gunfire, Shepard saw that the leader of the unit was one of the Spartans.

"Shepard's released the Master Chief!" he was shouting. "Stop them! Now!"

"_Damnit!"_ Halsey's voice responded. _"I didn't want this... Bring John in alive, if you can, but stop Shepard!"_

While most of the soldiers were cut down easily, the Spartan's shielding was much stronger. It took a lot of concentrated fire on Shepard's part to finally subdue him. Glancing over at John, she noticed that the Spartan seemed reluctant to fire on the marines, and she began to grow worried that he was beginning to feel the effects of indoctrination. She led the way down more passages, searching desperately for Project Control. More soldiers tried to stop them, but were quickly gunned down.

"_They're tearing us apart!"_ came a despondent voice over the intercom.

"_Regroup!"_ yelled Kelly in reply.

They reached a large cafeteria, noticing that one of the soldiers had finished welding a door shut. More soldiers poured in, spraying the area with bullets, diving behind tables and kitchen units as they tried to flank the pair. Some of them even tried sweeping the room with flamethrowers in an attempt to flush them out of cover. They held their ground, however, and within minutes all of the soldiers were down. On a small table Shepard found another datapad. Stopping briefly to listen to it, she found that it was a personal log belonging to Kelly:

"_Halsey's acting strange lately, like she doesn't care about the Project anymore. And I know I'm not the only one having those dreams. 'The Reapers are coming', she says, but I'm not sure if I'm hearing fear or hope in her voice."_

"God-damnit..." muttered Shepard, her eyes closed. "They should have got out as soon as the dreams started..."

Her free hand clenched into a fist as she put the datapad down. She could not believe that everything she had endured, everything she had tried to warn the galaxy against, was all being ignored. Releasing a deep sigh, she motioned for John to follow her through more passages until they reached a large stairwell. More soldiers poured in, led by a female Spartan who seemed surprisingly shorter than the average Spartan.

"You won't get through here, either of you!" she yelled as she opened fire on the group. She was an expert shot, the bullets pounding the shields of both Shepard and John as they struggled to keep going. Eventually the marines and their leader were gunned down, and they were able to proceed across the hall.

It was then that Shepard heard a voice being played on a loop from a nearby monitor. It looked like another personal log that was glitching up, one part of it constantly looping like a defective vinyl record. Raising her Omni-Tool to it and interfacing with the monitor, Shepard was able to retrieve the recording, which turned out to be another personal log kept by Halsey, recorded a week before.

"_The longer we're here, the more I'm convinced that the Project must be stopped. We simply don't know enough about what King Ghidorah wants. It's foolish to assume that he means doom for the galaxy. Legends say that he and the Reapers have come through before, and yet life continues, doesn't it?"_

Evidently the effects of indoctrination had gotten much worse by that point. This was exactly what the creator of the Reapers did; he sowed the seeds of doubt in his victims' minds, preying on their own questioning natures, until finally making it seem like his way was the correct way, the only logical choice. From there, the victims went on to fanaticism, leaving them open to total control. Looking to her side, she saw John peering at the recording, as stiff as a statue. It was difficult to tell with him if he was being indoctrinated himself, or was merely conflicted about fighting his own people. Either way, she knew she had to keep an eye on him as they moved down a corridor.

"_Shepard and John have reached Project Control!"_ barked Halsey's voice. _"Get in there, now!"_

"_I'll deal with 'em personally, Doctor!"_ replied Kelly.

As the door to the ground floor of Project Control opened, a soldier was stood right in front of the door armed with a flamethrower. Springing back out of the way of the deadly flames, Shepard managed to rupture the fuel tank with a well-placed bullet. The panicked soldier tried to put out the flames, but to no avail. The tank then exploded, scattering his atoms to the opposite ends of the room and reducing him to a bloody smear on the floor. Shepard and John ran into the room, cutting down more soldiers that tried to stop them.

Suddenly another Spartan jumped down from the upper level. Shepard looked up just in time to notice and roll out of the way before the soldier landed on her. Jumping back, she saw that the Spartan in question was Kelly, who was not wearing her helmet, a look of deep resentment on her face. Looking back for a moment, Shepard saw that John was pinned down by enemy fire. That moment of distraction cost her, for Kelly was able to kick her rifle out of her hands. Another kick sent Shepard sprawling to the floor, and she was forced to quickly roll out of the way as Kelly tried to drive her fist into her face. The force of the punch was so powerful that it actually left knuckle-shaped indentations in the floor.

Kelly was soon proven to be a vicious melee fighter, for as the two traded blows she moved quickly and darted around, constantly keeping Shepard off-balance and on the defensive. She struck the Commander and threw her onto a nearby table, sending papers and datapads crashing to the floor. Shepard tried to pick herself up, but was pinned to the table by the Spartan, her other hand moving to clench around her throat. Struggling for breath, Shepard grabbed Kelly's arm and tried to pull it off, but her grip held firm.

"It didn't have to be this way, Shepard," snarled Kelly, her eyes narrowed. "Why couldn't you just let him in? You know better than anyone that the Reapers can't be stopped!" The sounds of gunfire from across the room ceased, and Kelly turned to see that John had dealt with the rest of the marines. He was now turning to face the struggling women as Shepard continued to futilely break free from the Spartan's grasp. "You know that we're right, Chief!" Kelly continued. "You must have had the dreams too! The only chance that we have is to let the Reapers arrive! They're our only chance of salvation!"

"I've... heard that before..." grunted Shepard, as she continued to struggle. What Shepard feared was that John would take Kelly's words seriously, especially if he had been in close proximity to Object Rho for these past few days. Reinforcing that fear was that John just stood there, his rifle lowered, seemingly taking her words in.

"Chief!" Kelly shouted. "Think about it! What reason do you have to doubt Dr. Halsey? What reason do you have to doubt your old unit?! Just think about it and you'll know why we can't activate the Project! Shepard has to die if we're gonna be saved!"

As Kelly was distracted by trying to talk the motionless John around, Shepard was able to get a second wind, and was able to force Kelly off of her. The Spartan grunted as she was pushed away, and was about to spring at Shepard again. However, shots suddenly rang out, and Kelly crumpled to the floor, a look of shock frozen on her face. Three bullet holes were arranged neatly in the side of her head, and Shepard turned to see John standing still, his rifle still raised and the barrel still smoking. She felt a wave of gratitude wash over her that the Master Chief had apparently not succumbed to the indoctrination yet. She only hoped that his will was strong enough to endure whatever came next. She then remembered something Kelly had said, which would have gone some way to explaining why John hesitated to fire before.

"Blue Team's your unit, isn't it?" she asked, stooping down to pick up her assault rifle.

"Yes, ma'am," replied John, still in that gravelly monotone, lowering his rifle. "It was." As Shepard readied her rifle again, she saw another chronometer on the wall. She saw that over half an hour had passed since they escaped the med bay. The fire-fights were slowing them down too much.

"Let's go," she said to John, stepping towards the stairs to the upper level. "We've lost too much time already."

"Yes, ma'am," replied John, stepping after her. Maybe Shepard was imagining it, but John seemed to have a less disciplined step to him, as if, probably for the first time in his life, the events before him had shaken him.


	3. Collision Course

**Collision Course**

The upper level of Project Control was filled with desks and computer terminals, all of them dedicated to monitoring and maintaining the intricate propulsion and guidance systems on the asteroid. A holographic display suspended above one of the terminals showed the asteroid and all of the systems throughout it. Everything seemed to be operational. Shepard and John approached a series of terminals in front of a large window looking out over the asteroid's surface, with large displays. This had to be the main control terminal. As Shepard approached, John standing back like a silent sentinel, the voice of the station's VI chimed in:

"_Welcome to Project Control."_

"I want to activate the Project," said Shepard.

"_Warning,"_ the VI said. _"Activating the Project will result in an estimated three hundred and five thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue?"_ As it spoke, the central monitor showed the more precise figure of 304, 942, as well as the projected flight path of the asteroid to the Alpha Relay. Shepard paused, stepping back from the terminal and closing her eyes. She was now vividly reminded of the last time she had had to make a choice like this, when she chose to sacrifice thousands of UNSC lives to save the Council and preserve galactic stability. Now it seemed that more people had to die if the galaxy was to be kept safe for just a few months longer. She hated the choice. She had never believed in the 'ruthless calculus of war', as some called it, where untold numbers of people had to be sacrificed for the 'Greater Good'. She believed that there was always another way. However, for the first time in her life, she couldn't see any other options. Looking at the chronometer slowly ticking away, she sighed, knowing that it was now or never.

She swept her hand through a hologram that showed a red turbine, the startup button for the project. The hologram turned green and began to spin, and looking outside Shepard could see the giant jets spark into life, the roaring noise muffled by the thin atmosphere outside. She and John staggered to the side as the entire asteroid lurched, beginning its fateful journey to oblivion.

"_Project activation in progress,"_ said the VI in an eerily calm tone. _"Warning: Collision with Mass Relay imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."_

"I'm putting out a call on a system-wide emergency bandwidth," said Shepard, regaining her composure as she hacked the station's communication systems with her Omni-Tool. "I'm sending out a warning to the Batarian colonists."

"There's not enough time to evacuate the whole colony, ma'am," said John.

"I've got to try!" barked Shepard, glaring at John for a moment before activating the comm. systems. "Alert," she said, her voice echoing throughout the station. "All colonists living in the Bahak System. This is-"

"_Shepard, no!"_ Halsey's despairing voice suddenly said, cutting off Shepard's comm. channel. Her face appeared on the monitor in front of Shepard, now a mask of fury. _"Do you have any idea what you've done?! You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed!"_

"Tell me where to find Dr. Catherine Halsey," said Shepard, addressing the VI.

"_Dr. Halsey is travelling to the reactor core module,"_ the VI replied.

"_An Eezo core meltdown should do it,"_ said Halsey, looking at Shepard with pure hate in her eyes. _"Because of you, everyone on this rock will be obliterated!"_

"Not if I get to you first," Shepard hissed. She drew her pistol and ran through the next door, John following her. On the other side of the door she reached a small control room, overlooking the reactor core. Inside it was Halsey, now wearing her white UNSC lab coat, looking revolted as Shepard and John raised their weapons at her.

"Don't try to stop me, Shepard!" she yelled. "I have to do this!" She looked at John, shaking her head and looking thoroughly betrayed. "John, you know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't for the right reason!"

"Stop now, Doctor," said John. "The Office of Naval Intelligence wants you alive, but I will kill you if necessary." At this, Halsey turned to Shepard, her eyes narrowed.

"You've made a bad habit of inspiring others to betray their superiors," she ranted. "First Cerberus, now those I care about the most. You've made this personal, and you know that you're forcing my hand." She turned away from the two, leaning on the railing and peering out at the drive core. "There is no escape. There's no redemption for what you've done. I will die never having seen his blessings, and you will just die!" With that, she quickly ran through a side door. Shepard gave chase but was too late; the door slid shut and locked itself.

"Damnit, Halsey!" Shepard shouted, banging on the door. There was a sound of gunfire, and Shepard span round to see that John had shot two more guards who had tried to ambush them. Racing through the door that they had opened, Shepard and John reached a small elevator and rode it to the upper floor.

"_Safety protocols disengaged,"_ the VI announced as they ran through the tight corridors and into another control room for the central core. _"Core temperature rising."_

"How do I stabilise the reactor core?" asked Shepard.

"_All automatic safety protocols have been overridden,"_ said the VI. _"To stabilise the reactor core, manually insert Cooling Rod A in this control station and Cooling Rod B in Control Station B. Both must be inserted at the same time. Doing so will stabilise the reactor core."_

"Stay by this cooling rod," said Shepard, pointing at the large cylinder sticking out of the console. "I'll head for Control Station B. Wait for my signal."

"Yes, ma'am," said John, taking his place beside the rod, keeping a watchful eye on the door. "Be careful."

"Yeah..." Shepard said quietly, readying her rifle and heading through the next door. Through the window, John could see Halsey down near the reactor core, working frantically with the console at its base.

_"I need more time!"_ she barked. _"Get in there!"_

Through a window looking outside, Shepard could see small pieces of debris racing past at incalculable speeds as the asteroid continued to fly towards the relay. More soldiers tried to gun her down as she headed through the maintenance area towards the second control room, bullets bouncing off her shields. She used a series of large pipes filled with coolant waiting to be released as cover while she picked off the marines. It worried her just how fanatical the soldiers, the Spartans, and especially Halsey, were. She only wished that there was another way to reach them, like she could with Saren, but time was not on her side. She could only hope that someone out there would listen to her prayers and forgive her for what she was doing.

It was with a great sense of relief that she finally reached the second control room, just as the station VI confirmed that the reactor temperature was reaching critical levels. She was bruised and bloodied from fighting more guards in a room packed with crates. Knowing that too much time had been lost, she raised her Omni-Tool.

"John," she said, "are you ready?"

"_In position, ma'am,"_ was John's reply.

"On my count..." said Shepard, placing her hand tightly on the handle of the cooling rod. "Three... Two... One... Mark!"

With a great effort, Shepard slowly pushed the cooling rod down and locked it into place. Looking out into the main reactor chamber, she saw the coolant now flowing through the pipes overhead and into the brightly-shining core.

"_Cooling Rods A and B reinserted,"_ the VI chimed in._ "Reactor meltdown averted. Core temperature dropping."_

"_You've done nothing, Shepard!"_ Halsey snarled through the intercom. _"I can still override power to the engines! Try to stop me!"_

"John!" barked Shepard into her Omni-Tool. "Can you get to the core chamber from where you are?"

"_Yes, ma'am,"_ replied John.

"Meet me in there!" said Shepard, racing towards a small elevator and riding it down. "We've got to stop her!" Racing through the door at the bottom of the elevator, Shepard found herself near the main reactor core. John also entered the room from the opposite side. Both of them kept their weapons trained on Halsey, who was standing in front of the control console for the reactor, beating her fist against it.

"Step away from the reactor," said Shepard, her eyes narrowed and keeping her gun on Halsey as she and John stood side-by-side.

"You've ruined everything!" Halsey barked. "I can't hear the whispers anymore."

"Turn around," Shepard barked. "Now!"

"You've taken them away from me," Halsey hissed. "I'll never see the Reapers' arrival." She turned to face Shepard and John, holding a remote detonator in her hand, her finger now hovering over the button. Her coat fluttered to one side, revealing that she had strapped explosives to herself, and her face was one showing a limitless sorrow, quite the contrast to the cold, clinical looks she had when Shepard first saw her. She was looking at John in-particular as if the Spartan had personally stabbed her in the back. "All you had to do was stay asleep. None of this had to happen."

"Some part of you must still realise you were wrong!" said Shepard.

"Doctor!" John growled, lowering his weapon. Upon noticing him, Shepard did the same. "You don't have to do this! We can get off this asteroid!"

"No, John," replied Halsey, tears now forming in her eyes. "We cannot." Without warning, her finger slammed on the detonator. There was a heavy explosion right where Halsey was standing, her body being reduced to atoms, the force of the explosion sending Shepard and John flying back. Shepard slammed into the back wall and crumpled into a heap on the floor, falling unconscious. Her vision only returned some time later, as she woke up to find John kneeling over her, shaking her shoulder.

"Commander!" the Spartan yelled, though Shepard could barely hear him above the ringing in her ears. "Commander!"

"_Warning,"_ the VI was saying. _"Collision imminent."_ It repeated this message as John helped Shepard to her feet, the commander feeling like someone had planted a grenade in her brain. There was no trace of Halsey left. Seeing that her Omni-Tool had been damaged in the explosion, and as soon as the feeling returned to her legs, Shepard ran to the control console and tried to activate the comm. systems.

"Joker, this is Shepard!" she said wearily, trying to contact the _Normandy_. "I need a pickup, now!" Looking at the monitor, she saw that there were now less than ten minutes to impact.

"_Communication system damaged,"_ replied the VI.

"Damnit!" grunted Shepard, stepping away from the console and pacing back and forth.

"_Evacuation protocols are in effect,"_ said the VI. _"All personnel report to escape shuttles."_

"I know where the shuttles are located," said John. "We can get through that door to the external access." He pointed to a door in the back of the room. "The escape shuttles are on the landing pad outside the communications tower."

"Then let's move," said Shepard, drawing her rifle with a grim resolve on her face. As she opened the door, she paused, closing her eyes. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Halsey."

"So am I," grunted John, drawing his own rifle and following Shepard through the door. Through a corridor and down a flight of stairs, Shepard clamped her helmet to her head as they reached the airlock. Once the pressure was stabilised they found themselves outside, gravity kept in place by a Mass Effect field. The Alpha Relay filled their vision up ahead, getting closer as the asteroid raced towards it. Dashing outside, the sounds of muffled jet engines reached their ears as the last shuttles left the platform.

"Damnit!" grunted Shepard. "We have to get to that comm. tower. Hope the _Normandy_'s listening!" Feeling as if their legs were on fire, she and John made a mad dash to the comm. tower. Shepard reached it first and used her Omni-Tool to hack the interface. Up above, there was a faint whirring noise, muffled by the near-vacuum outside her suit, as the dish rotated. Looking out at the relay, she guessed that they had only a few minutes left to get clear.

"_External comm. channel open,"_ said the station VI.

"Shepard to _Normandy_," said Shepard. "Joker, do you read me?"

"_Commander?!"_ came the voice of the ship's pilot, Joker, sounding shocked. _"We've been trying to reach you for days! Are you the reason there's now an asteroid heading towards the relay?!"_

"No time to explain!" barked Shepard. "We need an immediate evac, on the double, mister!"

"_Say no more!"_ replied Joker. _"We're only a minute out! We're on our way!"_

"Commander!" John suddenly barked. Turning towards him as the comm. channel went dead, Shepard saw him pointing towards the main landing platform. She now saw a golden mist appearing, hovering just above the platform. As Shepard and John approached it, they saw the mist begin to take shape, and Shepard's eyes went wide as it took the form of an enormous golden dragon, with three heads, twin tails and broad bat-like wings. She recognised the image from files she had read, as this was the true face of the creator of the Reapers, the terrible intelligence from beyond the boundaries of space and time known to those in the galaxy as King Ghidorah. Shepard wondered if this projection was being created by Object Rho, in order to deliver one last message before its destruction. John raised his rifle, but Shepard raised a warning hand; there was no sense in wasting bullets on this projection.

"_Shepard,"_ he said, in a deep, grand, chilling voice, the three heads all peering at her with identical expressions of contempt. _"You have become quite an annoyance. You fight against inevitability, like dust struggling against cosmic winds."_ A cold, malevolent chuckle seemed to fill all of the space around her, as the heads lowered, as if to surround the pair. _"Tell me, Shepard... Does this feel like a victory to you, an entire star system sacrificed? Surely you know that your greatest civilisations are doomed to fall? Your leaders will beg to join in our song."_

"Maybe you're right..." said Shepard quietly, her head hanging and her eyes closed. "Maybe we can't win this..." Behind her eyes she pictured the faces of everybody she loved; Joker, Anderson, Liara and especially Kaidan... Everyone who was serving and who had ever served on the _Normandy_. She opened her eyes again, peering into the blood-red eyes on King Ghidorah's central head with a look of pure defiance.

"But I know one thing for certain," she said, clenching a fist and raising it towards him. "We won't go quietly. We'll never capitulate to you. However 'insignificant' we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will find a way. The galaxy will show you that we will never let you win, not while even one of us is still standing."

"_Brave words, my child,"_ replied King Ghidorah, chuckling, the heads seeming to embrace Shepard. _"But remember this as you die in vain. Your time will come. Your species will fall. Let the people of this galaxy prepare themselves for the Arrival."_ The faces continued to sneer at Shepard, as the projection faded, the golden dust seeming to blow away on an unfelt wind. Shepard and John stood in silence, staring into the space left by the vision, the sight of that monster seeming to be burned into their eyes.

"_Commander!"_ Joker's much more welcome voice said over the comm. channels. _"Your chariot has arrived!"_

Shepard looked up to see the sleek _Normandy_ swoop into view. The sight brought her back to her senses. It stopped just in front of the landing pad and the airlock door slid open.

"Come on!" Shepard barked, beckoning for John to follow him. The two of them sprinted the last few yards to the airlock and jumped in, the door sliding shut as soon as they were on board. The ship lurched forward, now racing the asteroid to the relay. As soon as it was possible to do so, Shepard and John ran to the cockpit, where Joker's fingers were now frantically flying over the controls, his face contorted in concentration.

"Get us outta here, Joker!" said Shepard.

"Collision in T-minus fifteen seconds," said EDI, speaking from her holographic avatar.

"I don't need the speaking clock, EDI!" barked Joker. "Everybody hang on!"

With only a few seconds to spare, the _Normandy_ reached the relay, waves of Eezo energy washing over the ship as it blasted through incredible speeds to its destination. Shepard pulled up a map of the galaxy on one of the displays and looked at it intently. They were not a moment too soon, for as the ship came to rest on the other side of the relay, back in the Bahak System there was a sudden white mark, indicating an enormous detonation. A glowing sphere spread from where the relay had been located, sweeping over the entire Bahak system. The asteroid had crashed into the relay, smashing it to pieces and detonating the Eezo core with the force of a supernova, just as Halsey had predicted. The system was now obliterated, everyone in it dead. Shepard pulled off her helmet, her face full of anguish. The Reapers had been stopped, but the price was too high.

"Commander?" said Joker, sounding wary. "What happened down there?"

"A lot," breathed Shepard, feeling as if she didn't have the energy to speak. "Where did we come out?"

"In the Sol System," replied EDI. "The Alpha Relay sent us right into our home system."

"She was right..." muttered Shepard. "God-damnit, she was right..." Had the Reapers been able to use the relay, they would definitely have been able to enter the Sol System and catch the UNSC completely off-guard. That had been far too close a call. There was then a beeping noise from the console, prompting Joker to snarl in frustration.

"And we just emptied our heat sinks," he grunted. "We've set off a flare for every UNSC vessel in the area. You want me to get us outta here?"

"No, Joker," said Shepard, standing up, sighing. "I've got to answer for what happened down there."

"I'm already picking up the _UNSC Infinity_ on an intercept course," said EDI. "It seems that they have been patrolling the area near the Charon Relay, doubtless to prepare for any signs of Reaper activity."

"Hope they forgive me if I don't roll out the red carpet," muttered Joker. He turned to face Shepard, looking concerned. "You'd better let Dr. Chakwas check you out, Commander. You look like you've just been through Hell."

"You're not far off," said Shepard, quietly. "Good job, Joker." She turned and walked down the ship towards the elevator, John following behind her. She barely noticed anybody, though she was sure she could feel everyone's questioning eyes following her. After the terrible events on the asteroid, she was sure that Hell could not be much worse than what she had seen.

0

Half an hour passed, during which time Shepard was in the infirmary with John, time which they had spent writing up reports for the UNSC. Dr. Karin Chakwas, the ship's medic, had insisted on checking the health of both of them, both physical and mental, after all they had been through, though she was frustrated that the Spartan refused to remove his armour.

"It's true what I've heard about you," she muttered. "You really do live inside that armour. It must be in need of some odour eaters by this point."

"I get that a lot," grunted John.

"Well," sighed Chakwas, "you've both got a clean bill of health, as far as I can tell. Even so, considering what's just happened you might want to get yourself evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, not to mention possible Reaper indoctrination." She looked especially concerned at Shepard, who looked as if all the will had been sucked out of her. The door then slid open, though neither Shepard nor John turned to see who it was. Chakwas, however, almost dropped her datapad in surprise, and walked to the door. Turning her head to look, Shepard saw that she was now talking to not only Admiral Hackett in person, but Councillor David Anderson, also wearing a blue UNSC dress uniform. Both of them listened to Chakwas' words, looking concerned and very grave. After Chakwas left, both men stepped into the med bay, closing the door behind them.

"I see you've both recovered," said Hackett, his hands behind his back. John stood up and saluted, but Shepard could only look at her mentor, who was looking at her with a morose expression.

"Anderson?" she said. "What were you doing on the _Infinity_? Aren't you supposed to be on the Citadel?"

"I think that can wait until after we've-" Hackett began.

"No, Stephen," said Anderson, holding his hand up. "The Commander has the right to know, since I might not get another chance to say anything." He sighed deeply. "I don't know if you've seen the newsfeeds in your self-imposed exile, but I've resigned from my position as Human Councillor. Donnel Udina has taken my place.

"What?!" said Shepard, looking astounded. "Why? You were the perfect man for that job!"

"I'm glad you believed in me," said Anderson, "but events have shown me that I wasn't." He released another sigh. "I passed information on to the Turians. It told us the locations of several Cerberus bases and implicated high-ranking UNSC officials in their activities. The Turians put together a task force to take them all down, and I authorised a joint military exercise with them to strike at facilities within UNSC borders and within the Terminus Systems, in violation of the Citadel Conventions." He shook his head. "I don't regret my decision. I was tired of all the bureaucracy on the Citadel, which was getting in the way of our preparations against the Reapers. After seeing the Precursors, and how the Council reacted to them, I decided that my time would be better spent back in the UNSC. Besides, I'm sure my actions would have cost me my job anyway."

"President Mendoza allowed David to remain in the UNSC as Admiral," said Hackett. "I'm sure he knew the score, otherwise Anderson would likely have been arrested for passing on such sensitive information." He looked sympathetically at Shepard. "From what Dr. Chakwas was saying, it sounds like you both went through Hell down there. How do you feel?"

"Like the morning after shore leave," said Shepard, shaking her head.

"No worse for wear, sir," said John. "I didn't expect to see either of you here."

"Shepard went out there as a favour to me," said Hackett. "I wanted to debrief her in person." He turned back to Shepard, looking more serious. "That was before the Mass Relay exploded and destroyed an entire Batarian system. What the hell happened out there, Commander?"

"Have you received any intel about what happened?" asked Shepard.

"All I know is that I sent you out there to break Catherine Halsey out of prison," said Hackett, "and now an entire system has been destroyed. I hope you can fill in the leap of logic between those two events."

Shepard stood up, sighing, and handed her datapad over to Hackett. "I confirmed Halsey's proof," she said. "The Reapers were coming, and destroying that relay was the only way to stop them. Halsey sedated me for almost two days. I started the engines with little more than an hour left. I tried to warn the Batarian colony, but... time ran out."

"I can confirm the Commander's report," John chimed in. "Halsey kept me in cryogenic suspension for over four days. I believe she was trying to have me indoctrinated. Shepard freed me, and I had to help her start the Project." He looked away for a moment as Hackett looked over Shepard's report. "It was... difficult. I felt the indoctrination beginning to take its effect. I almost let the Commander die because of it."

Hackett and Anderson looked at each other, Hackett nodding.

"The Batarians report no survivors from Aratoht," said Anderson. "At least you tried."

"And you believe the Reaper invasion really was an immediate threat?" asked Hackett.

"No doubt about it," said Shepard. "We literally had minutes to spare."

"I'm sure all the details are in your reports," said Hackett, taking John's datapad as well. He paused for a moment, his eyes closed. "I won't lie to you, Shepard. The Batarians will want blood, and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. We don't want war with the Batarians, not with the Reapers at the galaxy's edge."

"What are you saying?" asked Shepard, feeling her heart sink.

"You did what you did for the best of reasons," said Hackett. "But there were more than three hundred thousand Batarians in that system, all of them dead."

"They died to save trillions of lives," said Shepard, shaking her head. "If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have."

"You're preaching to the choir, Shepard," said Anderson, Hackett nodding in agreement. "If it were up to us, we'd give you a damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way."

"So what do you suggest?" asked Shepard, pacing back and forth, her hand on her chin.

"Evidence against you is shoddy at best," said Anderson. "But at some point you'll have to return to Earth and face the music. We can't stop it... but we can and will make them fight for it."

"Is the UNSC prepared for a Reaper invasion?" asked Shepard.

"That's hard to say," sighed Hackett. "It took multiple fleets, and the _Silent Wrath_, to bring Sovereign down, and that was just one Reaper. I don't doubt that the Precursors will help our chances, but they've only been able to get one ship operational, and we haven't had time to replace all of the losses from the Battle of the Citadel. With new advancements in weapons technology we could probably hold our own against individual Reapers much better, but if they attack in full force, en-masse, we're just not ready."

"Is the UNSC concerned about the Batarians' response to this incident?" asked John.

"Very," said Anderson. "The Batarians have been looking for an excuse to wage war on us since we showed up on the galactic stage. When the Reapers invade, we need the galaxy to work together. If we're at war with the Batarians, the other races will be hesitant to give aid to either side."

Shepard paused for a moment, looking at the two. "I didn't expect to see either of you aboard a Cerberus vessel," she said.

"I don't like Cerberus or the way they do things," said Hackett. "But they brought you back to life, and at least they let you do something about the Collectors when our own hands were tied. That's not gonna stop us from kicking the Illusive Man's ass if we find him, of course."

"Besides," Anderson chimed in, looking around him, "I'm not so sure this is a Cerberus vessel anymore. Right?"

"Right," said Shepard. She paused, taking in a deep breath, and looking at both Admirals with new conviction. "I'll take full responsibility for everything that happened in the Bahak System, and I'll return to Earth to stand trial. However, only if my conditions are met. I want my squad and my crew to be given amnesty, and to be permitted to go their own way. They don't deserve to be punished for my actions." She then turned to the Spartan. "That goes for John-117 too." There was a pause as Hackett and Anderson looked at each other. Anderson nodded, and Hackett turned back to Shepard.

"Glad to see working with Cerberus hasn't stripped away your sense of honour," he said. "I can give you a week for you and your crew to get your affairs in order. Hopefully that will be enough time to get your squad back home and get them out of the firing line, though we can't guarantee the safety of any crew members left on board from UNSC legal procedures once you're picked up. John-117 will be reassigned to the _Infinity_, as we need someone of his experience training up the new Spartan recruits."

"I appreciate it, Admiral," said Shepard, saluting.

"In the meantime," said Anderson, "I'll take over running the _Normandy_. We'll do what we have to do, then return to Earth so you can get into your dress blues, and be ready to take the hit."

"I'll have to run your reports by ONI," said Hackett, nodding, "but I know in my gut that you both did the right thing." He saluted. "You've done a hell of a thing, Commander."

With that, both Admirals stepped out of the infirmary. John made to follow, but Shepard grasped his arm.

"John," she said. "Do you agree that destroying the relay was the right thing to do?"

John paused for a moment, apparently considering his answer. "Our duty as soldiers is to protect humanity, no matter what the cost." he then said.

"You say that like soldiers and humanity are two different things," said Shepard, shaking her head, and sitting back down. "We're not machines, John. Try to remember that."

John turned to face the door, preparing to follow the two Admirals. However, he paused for a moment, his head hanging. "... She said that to me once... about being a machine..." he said slowly, thinking about Cortana.

"Who?" asked Shepard. "Halsey?"

"No."

"Then whoever 'she' was," said Shepard, "she was a very wise woman. You'd do well to remember what she said."

John turned back to face her, giving a quick salute which Shepard returned. "Hope we can work together again someday, ma'am," he said, before walking out of the infirmary, where he found the Admirals waiting for him.

"Head on back to the _Infinity_ for further debriefing," said Hackett. "We'll see you soon."

"Yes, sir," said John, saluting as he walked back towards the elevator. Hackett and Anderson stood in the mess area, Hackett sighing and shaking his head.

"Hell of a mess..." he muttered. "And at the worst possible time too."

"I know," said Anderson. "I also know that I want Shepard to be completely in the loop."

"I can't guarantee that once she's in custody," said Hackett.

"I know," replied Anderson. "But she should at least meet Emperor Kedzuel before anything else happens. We also need to arrange things so that we're in a position to give her help should she need it when the Reapers arrive. I'm going to head to Omega to pick up a certain guard for her; a marine by the name of James Vega."

"Vega?" asked Hackett. "Wasn't he involved in the Collector attack on Fehl Prime?"

"He was," said Anderson. "I figure he and Shepard have a common bond. Vega knows the score as well as Shepard does. We just need to pull him out of the slump he's put himself in."

"If he's still feeling the effects of PTSD," said Hackett, "are you sure he can be relied upon?"

"Once he gets a sense of purpose back into him," said Anderson, nodding. "I'm not letting a damn good ODST throw his life away. Besides, right now, we need to bring in people we can rely on, people who know what we're up against. The Turian hit squads put a serious dent in Cerberus, but there are still a lot of their agents out there. When the Reapers arrive, we need to have everyone we know we can trust close to us."

"I can't argue with that," said Hackett. "You do what you have to do, David, and I'll try to temper the fires at the UNSC for as long as I can." He sighed, closing his eyes. "We came too close to being invaded, if Shepard's report is to be believed. They'll find another way here, even if they have to cut their way through everyone in the galaxy to get to the next relay. We need to keep an eye on activity in Batarian space, as the next nearest relay is right near Kar'Shan."

"I know," said Anderson, as both men started to walk back to the elevator. "And when they do get here, may God have mercy on us all."


	4. Epilogue

**Epilogue: The Parting of the Ways**

A feeling of deep melancholy lingered on the _Normandy_ long after the _Infinity_ had departed with Admiral Hackett and John-117 aboard. The last time that Shepard had felt this low was when her friend Ashley Williams had sacrificed herself to make sure an enemy facility was destroyed. Ash had given her life to give Shepard a chance to save the galaxy; now, however, Shepard felt as if she had ritually slaughtered all those Batarians. There was little anyone could say or do to console her. So it was with a heavy heart that she met with the ten members of her squad in the _Normandy_'s briefing room. Anderson was also there, looking around at each face in turn. They had all aided Shepard in her hour of need, but now none of them could help her. He was relieved that Hackett had given her squad amnesty and time to get their affairs in order; after all that they had done for this galaxy, it would be too much for them to be arrested. Shepard had accepted the burden of responsibility for herself, as any good leader did, and the weight of that burden seemed to show on her face as she spoke to all of the crew through the ship's intercom:

"Attention all hands. As you know we were recently boarded by Admiral Hackett and Admiral Anderson when we rendezvoused with the _Infinity_. Officially I am to be arrested for what happened in the Bahak System, and as you all worked for Cerberus the United Nations Space Command will call for your arrest as well. Admiral Anderson cannot guarantee the protection of any crew members still on board. We have been given one week to get our affairs in order, after which time the UNSC fleets will be within their rights to detain the _Normandy_ and anyone left on board.

"As of today, I will not be in command of the _Normandy_. Admiral Anderson will be in charge; if you have any queries, direct them to him. In the meantime, if you wish to leave, change into civilian clothing. If there is any particular destination you wish to be dropped off, send Joker the coordinates." She paused for a moment, heaving a deep sigh. "I have been proud to have all of you as my crew, and I wish you all the best of luck out there. Remember that the Reapers are still coming, and I hope all of you will remember that they will never win, not while there are people still left to fight them. Good luck, and Godspeed." With that, she signed off.

"This isn't right, Shepard," Garrus Vakarian snarled, the dark eyes set in his skull-like Turian face narrowed. "You did the only thing you could do to buy us more time to prepare for the Reapers. They can't punish you for trying to save the galaxy!"

"No, Garrus," said Shepard, shaking her head. "Remember what I told you two years ago? The minute you start hurting civilians, you become a criminal with a badge."

"Shepard is right," said Samara, the Asari peering around the room with her bright blue eyes. "The Code forbids me from interfering in legal matters once a criminal is captured. Otherwise, for killing civilians, I would have to kill Shepard the moment I am released from my oath."

"Fuck your code!" shouted a wiry human woman, her hair bald and her body covered in tattoos, beating her fist into the table. "What the fuck else was Shepard supposed to do?" She glared at a pale-skinned woman with long hair stood opposite her, somehow looking rather provocative. "For that matter, why couldn't the cheerleader work her voodoo and get those colonists the fuck outta there?"

"Ex-cheerleader," spat the woman, Miranda Lawson, in reply. "I don't work for Cerberus anymore, in case you forgot already. As for why I couldn't teleport the colonists to safety, for one thing, I had no idea what was going on. None of us did. The Array doesn't show us Technomancers the future. For another thing, it would take a Technomantic Master to move that many colonists in such a short space of time, and I'm definitely not a Master." She folded her arms, her eyes narrowed. "Satisfied, Jack?"

Jack, the tattooed woman, just snorted and threw up her arms in surrender. "Always a fucking excuse," she muttered. "Vakarian's right, though; this ain't right at all."

"Shepard has no match as a Battlemaster," snarled Grunt, the young tank-created Krogan whose tortoise-like face glowered at Anderson. "Lock her up and you throw away your greatest weapon against the Reapers."

"I appreciate that some of you view this as a big injustice," said Anderson, his brow furrowed. "Hell, I already said that Shepard would be getting a medal if it was up to me. However, half the galaxy wants her dead for what she's done. Even the Council have refused to back her up; they reckon she's turning out just like Saren, an embarrassment to the Spectres. However, the Council still allows its member races to exercise autonomy, and at least if Shepard is in UNSC custody we can keep her safe from reprisals. Don't forget that her turning herself in is also the reason all of you will still be free, so I suggest you respect her choice. You owe her that much."

There was an awkward silence. Shepard looked into all of the anxious faces of her squad. They came from all corners of the galaxy, this band of misfits and outcasts who had all come together to perform the impossible. Now they had to part ways, in terrible circumstances, having to take their only chance at freedom.

"So what will all of you be doing?" asked Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the small Quarian in her ornate environment suit. "Just because we're all leaving doesn't mean we should break contact."

"Shepard will be unable to contact any of you once she's in custody," said Anderson. "That's one of the conditions for her imprisonment. However, there's nothing stopping all of you from keeping in touch, keeping yourselves prepared for when the Reapers arrive."

"I appreciate the sentiment," said Miranda, "but I'm going as deep underground as I possibly can, and I suggest none of you try to find me. I'll go so far as to corrupt my own file in the Array if I can. I was the head of the Lazarus Cell, and the Illusive Man's second-in-command. I know things he wouldn't want me to make public, and frankly I don't trust anyone but myself to keep me safe." She sighed, her eyes closing. "He also knows where Oriana and her family are. I've got to make arrangements so that he never finds them. They're not gonna be put in danger because of me. I won't let that happen."

"I've got a job to do as well," said the dark-skinned Jacob Taylor, cracking his knuckles. "There are still good people in Cerberus' ranks. I'm gonna try and persuade as many as I can of the truth, get 'em all on our side."

"So what of the rest of you?" asked Shepard, looking around into the faces of each of her squad.

"I intend to continue as I did before," said Samara, her hands behind her back. "I will roam Asari space as I did before, as all Justicars do. Perhaps I will spend time with my remaining daughters. They are at a monastery for Ardat-Yakshi, isolated from the galaxy for their protection and the safety of others. If the Reapers arrive, I wish for there to be no regrets between myself and my surviving family."

"I too have family matters that I must attend to," said Thane Krios, a Drell who looked around at Shepard with his large dark eyes. "My doctors have given me another eight to twelve months, and I do not doubt that the Reapers will be arriving sooner. I wish to spend what time I have left patching things up with my son, Kolyat."

"Shepard-Commander," a robotic voice droned from one end of the large table. The voice came from Legion, the name of the collection of over 1,000 Geth programs contained inside the mobile platform that stood there, regarding Shepard with its single lit optic for an eye. Even after the schism between the true Geth and the 'Heretics' had been removed thanks to Shepard's efforts, she knew that the galaxy at large still considered the Geth to be their enemy. She saw Anderson's eyes fall on the piece of her old armour strapped to its chest, his chest heaving with a slight sigh.

"We must return to the Consensus on Rannoch," the drone continued. "Eject an escape pod close to the Perseus Veil and we will send out a signal for our recovery by a Geth vessel. Sending the _Normandy_ beyond the Veil itself is not advised."

"That's right," muttered Tali, shaking her head. "The Geth have shot down any ship that enters their space."

"We practice a form of isolationism," said Legion. "We deemed it necessary to safeguard ourselves from organics. The Morning War against the Creators brought us to the conclusion that organics must seek to control or exterminate all synthetics. Our experiences on the _Normandy_ crew will be shared with the rest of the Consensus. They show that circumstances have changed, that mutual co-operation with organics can prove to be beneficial."

"I'm glad your time here has left you with a positive impression," said Shepard.

"Legion," Tali chimed in suddenly, sounding nervous. "My people will never wish to admit it, but we need the help of the Geth when the Reapers arrive. Would it be possible for us to maintain contact, if there is any chance we can come to an arrangement for co-operation?"

"We would be grateful, Creator Tali'Zorah," said Legion, the metal plates on its head that mimicked eyebrows quivering.

"What about you, Jack?" asked Thane, turning to the tattooed woman. "Do you have no-one that you can return to?"

"Hell no," shrugged Jack. "I don't know who my folks are, and even if they're still alive, they wouldn't know who the fuck I am either. Just drop me off on Omega and I'll make my own way."

"Your file says that you're a damn powerful psion," said Anderson. "Not to mention that you're a career criminal. However, we've got a whole lot of psionic teens in Grissom Academy who could use someone with your abilities to show 'em the ropes. We're willing to wipe the slate clean if you accept; your helping Shepard's earned you a reprieve."

"You'd trust me with someone else's fucking kids?!" replied Jack, her eyebrows arching. "You're crazy."

"Maybe," said Anderson, "but the offer's gonna stay open regardless. Head to Grissom Academy if you decide to join up. Talk to Kahlee Sanders; tell her I sent you and she'll set you up."

Jack didn't reply, but leaned on the table staring at her own arms. Shepard looked around at every member of her team, releasing a deep sigh.

"Let Joker know where you wanna be dropped off," she said. "We'll head for the Perseus Veil first, then from there to Omega and wherever else you want to be headed." She peered into each face in turn, nodding. "It's been an honour for me to fight alongside all of you, and perhaps one day we'll fight side-by-side again, to drive the Reapers out of this galaxy once and for all. Dismissed."

She saluted to all of them. Only Jacob and Miranda returned the salute formally; the others all nodded or bowed to acknowledge their leader. Then they all stepped out of the room, preparing to be separated. All of them knew, however, that none of them could return to any semblance of a normal life, not with Cerberus on their heels and the Reapers doubtless soon tearing their way through Batarian space. As Shepard watched them all leave, she felt a sense of foreboding, knowing that she was to go into UNSC custody, which carried a great sense of uncertainty over whether she would see any of them again. It would be tough to say goodbye to all of them. She leaned on the table, burying her face in her hands.

"They'll be fine, Commander," said Anderson, gently rubbing her shoulder. "They all look like a hell of a squad. I'm sure we'll see them again."

"God, I hope so," breathed Shepard.

0

_**2347, September 28, 2560 (Military Time)\Omega**_

Lt. James Vega of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers thought that his life could not possibly get any worse. He felt as if he had been cursed from the moment he had started smuggling red sand for his abusive father. The only useful thing he felt his old man had taught him was how easy it was for traumatic events to destroy someone if they let it do so. Vega had vowed that he would never end up like that, but Lord knew how he had come so close to snapping himself. Even now, on Omega, he felt as if he was coming close to breaking that vow.

It had all started as a simple game of cards, in some seedy bar off the beaten path. He had never been one to frequent Afterlife; it was too high-class for his liking (as high class as anything on Omega could get, anyway). That was before the news had come on. For the past few days they had repeated the same story; the ongoing investigation into why the first human Spectre had decided to destroy a Mass Relay and blow up an entire Batarian system. While the Council and the UNSC worked damage control, denying any and all involvement, the four-eyed aliens were of course calling it a terrorist attack, an act of war, and were calling for Shepard's head on a pike.

When it had become too much, Vega had proceeded to pull the monitor off the wall and beat up a bunch of Batarians. They had accused him of being a Shepard-lover. Of course they had every right to be pissed off about losing a system, but to believe Shepard to be a terrorist was going too far. The fight had finally been broken up by Anderson, who even now was leading Vega towards his ship, the grime of the former mining colony seeming to cling to every surface.

"It's time you got over the incident on Fehl Prime," Anderson was saying as they walked towards the docking bay. "Time for you to be the soldier we expect of you." Looking out of the window for a moment Vega was surprised to see that they seemed to be heading towards the _Normandy_.

"No disrespect, sir," Vega drawled, wiping blood that spilled from a cut on his forehead as they walked down the docking cradle to the ship, "but I'd rather not get over it."

"You're a damned fool if you think I'm gonna let a soldier as good as you piss your life away in this shithole," barked Anderson. "You're coming with me to Earth now," he finished, placing extra emphasis on the last word.

"Forget it," replied Vega, shaking his hand. "There's nothing for me there."

"I've got something for you," said Anderson, above the sound of the decontamination units in the airlock. "Something you haven't had before."

"Just throw me in the goddamned brig and be done with it!" barked Vega, following Anderson onto the ship itself. A disgusted snarl curled his lips when he saw the Cerberus logo on the walls of the ship; he seemed to take the fact that this organisation dared to associate itself with this ship as a personal insult.

"You're not far off, Lieutenant," said Anderson. "Only you'll be guarding the brig. One prisoner in-particular..." His eyes looked downcast as he led Vega across the ship to the elevator. Heading down into the cargo bay, Vega's dark brown eyes widened when he saw a woman there, training on a large punching bag hanging from the high ceiling, a woman he recognised from the news but never thought he would actually meet.

"Commander... Shepard?" he spluttered. The woman landed one last hard punch on the bag before stepping away from it, her eyes falling on Anderson and Vega and walking over to them.

"Anderson," said Shepard, "who's this?"

"Your probation officer," said Anderson. "This is Lt. James Vega. He's an ODST just like you were. He's also gone up against the Collectors, so I thought you two would have something in common. We need people who understand the scale of the threat we face close to us right now." He turned with his eyes narrowed to Vega. "That's assuming he doesn't go pulling any more stunts like in that bar. Those Batarians are out for human blood, and they're looking for any excuse."

Vega looked between Shepard and Anderson, looking puzzled, then his expression growing dark as he turned to Anderson.

"Lemme guess," he said. "Those idiotas in HICOM want her under lock and key for what happened in the Bahak System."

"It's out of my hands, Vega," sighed Anderson. "We'll do what we can, but we need to keep up appearances for when the UNSC arrives to pick up Shepard. I'll leave you two to get to know each other while we head for the Migrant Fleet to drop off Tali." Without waiting to hear another word from either Shepard or Vega, he stepped back towards the elevator and went back up to the command deck.

"So I guess you know my service record?" said Vega, folding his arms. "After what Anderson said, anyway."

"Actually, I don't," replied Shepard. "I haven't had access to UNSC personnel files for a while."

"Right..." muttered Vega, cracking his knuckles and nodding to the punching bag. "Reckon you can dance and talk at the same time?"

"Oh, I can dance," nodded Shepard. "Don't let my good looks fool you. I've got more than my share of scars."

She and Vega stepped into the centre of the cargo bay, facing each other, then raising their fists in boxing poses. Shepard threw the first punches, which Vega blocked, a smirk forming on his face.

"You remind me of my old CO," he chuckled, returning some punches, which Shepard ably dodged.

"Oh yeah?" asked Shepard, advancing on Vega, her swings becoming stronger. "Who was that?"

"Captain Toni," said Vega, his expression becoming more grim. "He was a hard-assed son of a bitch, but a good leader." He struck at Shepard again, forcing her to go on the defensive, her arms raised to block his punches.

"Was?" asked Shepard.

"Died," said Vega, stepping to Shepard's left, "with most of my squad, protecting a civilian colony from a Collector attack." His eyes narrowed and never left Shepard's as he swung again, forcing her to lean back.

"And the colony?"

"It was either them," snarled Vega, swinging at her again, "or the intel we had on the Collectors. Intel we could've used to destroy them." His swings became more vicious, his teeth gritted. "I chose the intel."

"Sorry..." said Shepard, backing away from him. "That's a tough call." She was vividly reminded of the incident on Virmire two years ago, when she was also caught in a no-win situation, forced to leave behind a friend to die.

"The best part," spat Vega, panting, "was that we didn't really need that data in the end... 'cos you were out saving the galaxy by taking down the entire Collector homeworld." He swung harder than ever, his muscles seeming to burst out of his arms from his exertion.

"You didn't know," replied Shepard, ducking and weaving away from his strikes. "You can't blame yourself, Vega."

"Who says I'm blaming myself?" spat Vega. He was taken by surprise when Shepard swung her fists, striking him in the face.

"I do," she said.

"You a shrink too?" he retorted.

"No," grunted Shepard, "but it sounds like you pulled a pretty damn reckless stunt out there."

"So?"

"So," snarled Shepard. "Maybe you don't care if you live or die."

"Maybe," Vega yelled, swinging his fists, "What the fuck do you care?!"

He swung out in anger, and this time Shepard was ready for him. Catching his arm, she stepped to one side and tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"Because we're facing a war with the Collectors' master," said Shepard as Vega pulled himself up. "We need all the help we can get, and if you're half as good as Anderson seems to think you are, then we need you alive."

Vega panted, now starting to feel the exhaustion from his workout catching up to him. He worked out every day, but it had been a long time since anyone had given him such a vigorous exercise regime, both physically and mentally. He had spent so long living with his mistake; it was a burden he felt he had to carry by himself, but this session with Shepard had been strangely cathartic.

"Thanks for the pep talk," he grunted.

"Anytime," replied Shepard, herself wiping away the sweat that was forming on her brow.

"Thanks for the dance, Lola."

"Lola, huh?" asked Shepard, her eyebrow arching. She didn't think she had met anyone like Vega, who seemed to be simultaneously a good soldier but also one with little regard for protocol.

"You kinda look like a Lola," said Vega, rubbing the back of his stubbled, scarred head with a sheepish grin. He had the habit of giving people nicknames that he felt suited them, simply because he found them easier to remember.

"You're cute," Shepard chuckled, in spite of herself, "so I'll let you get away with it, for now."

Deciding that he should probably stop there before he put his foot in it, Vega walked out of the cargo bay to take a look around the ship and get used to it. He didn't feel comfortable being on a ship that still had Cerberus logos plastered all over the walls, but that wasn't something a bit of paint couldn't fix. He had had a lot of ideas in his head about Commander Shepard, having followed her exploits for a long time, and it turned out that she was not entirely what he had come to expect from her. Still, there was ample time to get to know her, since it looked like, as his probation officer, it would be his job requirement to spend a lot of time in her company.

0

_**1215, October 1, 2560 (Military Time)\ Palaven**_

As the days passed, more and more crew members left the ship to go their own separate ways. Most of them left on Illium, doubtless to catch other ships heading to parts unknown. As discreetly as she possibly could do so with a UNSC Admiral on board overseeing the ship, EDI had taken the trouble to organise new IDs for those crew members who left, as they were sure to be flagged at checkpoints as known Cerberus agents. No-one was fond of leaving, as they wanted to stay and help Shepard any way they could, but the facts were unavoidable. For their own protection, they had to leave.

By the time the _Normandy_ had reached Tuchanka to drop off Grunt, only Shepard, Garrus, Anderson, Joker, Dr. Chakwas and the engineers Daniels and Donnelly remained. They were still necessary to keep the ship in working order, but they also didn't want to leave Shepard's side. Perhaps they all held some faint hope that they could do something to help Shepard in this hour of need. Even when Anderson had explained the consequences of this – that they would surely be court-marshalled for working with Cerberus – they had insisted on remaining on board.

"A good friend will pay your bail," Joker said on the matter, "but a true friend is in that jail cell with you. Besides, it's not like I can outrun the Alliance for long with my creaky legs."

Shepard's squad all departed at various stops. Legion was deposited as he had requested close to the Perseus Veil, while Tali had returned to the Migrant Fleet. Samara had been dropped off on an isolated planet in Asari space that housed an Ardat-Yakshi monastery, a place where those with the rare genetic disorder unique to the Asari could live in peace, as much to protect the galaxy from them as the other way around. Jack had left the crew on Omega to try and get as far away from anyone connected to Cerberus as possible. Mordin left on Omega too, doubtless to check on his clinic for one more time, though he mentioned that he would seek passage to the Salarian homeworld of Sur'kesh very soon to see to 'unfinished business'.

Miranda and Jacob had left on Illium with the rest of the _Normandy_ crew, doubtless to go their own ways and pursue their own agendas. Thane had left for the Citadel to spend what was left of his time with his son. Grunt was dropped off on the Krogan homeworld of Tuchanka, where he would rejoin the Urdnot clan. As it turned out, the clan chief Urdnot Wrex, an old friend and ally of Shepard's, had been visited by mutual acquaintances the month before; the mutant Alan Tyler had been there on his Firefly-class transport ship _Serenity_, escorting the Precursor Emperor Kedzuel on a guided tour of the galaxy. Apparently, the Emperor had made quite a stir among the Krogan people.

"So he really did beat up your brother?" asked Shepard, while they had been discussing the visit.

"Yup," said Wrex, releasing a deep chuckle. "That pretty-boy doesn't look like he's fought a day in his life, but he kicked Wreav's sorry ass from one end of the Proving Grounds to the other. It'll be good to have guys like him on our side when the Reapers show up. I've already given my support, especially as he's promised to help restore Tuchanka when the war's over."

"I wish to spar with him myself someday," said Grunt, smirking. "I wanna see if he's really as powerful as everyone says his kind are."

"Maybe one day," said Wrex. "In the meantime, I need you here to help me keep these near-sighted idiots focused on fighting the Reapers. I'm putting together a special squad, and I want you as their Battlemaster."

Grunt nodded, before turning back to Shepard. "Shepard will always be my Battlemaster," said Grunt. "She has no match, even when she does that funny talking thing that humans do."

"Why do you think we leave the talking to the humans?" Wrex chuckled. "I sure as hell don't wanna end up talking my way into a galactic war."

Now only Garrus remained, the _Normandy_ docking at a spaceport in Cipritine, the capital of the Turian homeworld of Palaven. The planet's weak magnetic field meant that there was very little shielding from the sun's rays, but the native wildlife had adapted in an extraordinary manner, with animal life developing metallic carapaces. It was small wonder that the Turian people had evolved to be a hardy and highly-disciplined race. The great city of Cipritine reflected the martial Turian society, as the whole city with its great angular skyscrapers was heavily fortified, though doubt remained as to whether such fortifications could hold if subjected to a sustained Reaper assault.

Shepard was not allowed to leave the ship itself, but she and Garrus stood inside the airlock as the ship approached the docking cradle. There was a hissing noise and several loud thudding noises as the docking clamps locked the ship into place. Garrus closed his eyes and sighed and Shepard looked at him, suspecting that this was more than a lament that today, at this moment, the alliance that they had forged to fight the Collectors was truly coming to an end.

"What's on your mind, Garrus?" she asked.

"I was just thinking about this war that's coming," he said. "We're already starting to hear the rumours coming out of Batarian space; attacks in their systems, strange disappearances, and so on. The Hegemony's denying it all, of course, and they're still calling for your head. Don't be surprised if they start saying that you're the Reaper overlord, or something." He folded his arms, his eyes closed. "We all know what's going on, and yet nobody's lifting a damn finger to go in there and help, no matter if the Batarians want it or not. I've no love for Batarians – I don't think anyone in the galaxy does – but it makes me feel like we're just throwing their asses into the fire." He sighed and folded his arms. "I'm just wondering if this is what it's going to take when the Reapers do come. How many will we have to sacrifice? Will we end up having to let ten thousand over in place A die so that a hundred thousand can live in place B? The ruthless calculus of war, right?"

"I don't believe in that," said Shepard firmly. "The minute we start reducing this war to maths, we become no better than the Reapers. If there was any way I could help the Batarians right now, you'd bet your ass I'd be doing it."

"I know you would," said Garrus, nodding. "I know you're trying to save everyone... I just wish I had your faith." It was then that docking procedures finished and the door slid open, revealing the tube connecting the ship to the spaceport. "I just wish there was more I could do right now. It's not right what the UNSC are doing, not when we need people like you to fight the Reapers."

"I'll be fine, Garrus," said Shepard. "Whatever happens, I know that you guys will do the right thing."

"Thanks, Shepard," said Garrus. "I'll see what I can do here. Maybe my dad can still pull some strings, though family reunions are always awkward..." He held out one of his hands, which Shepard clasped tightly. "We'll see each other again. That's a promise."

"Take care, Garrus," said Shepard, feeling her voice begin to choke. It was horrible for her to part ways with her team like this, but it had to be done. Without another word, before things got any more awkward, Garrus stepped off the ship, the airlock door sliding shut behind him. Now feeling very melancholy, Shepard stepped back onto the bridge, only to find Joker apparently in an argument over the intercom, with Vega leaning against one of the other chairs.

"No, no, we get it," said Joker. "You're lucky I'm willing to play nice here, otherwise I wouldn't even leave you the tail-lights."

"What's going on?" asked Shepard, leaning over the pilot's chair.

"_Is that the Commander there with you?"_ a young-sounding male voice on the other end asked. _"Commander Shepard, this is Captain Laskey of the UNSC _Infinity_. We're sitting above Palaven and hereby order you to take your ship above-atmosphere and relinquish control of your helm. By order of the Office of Naval Intelligence, you're under arrest."_

"They pulled some strings with the Turian Hierarchy to be able to come in here and grab us," muttered Joker. "I'd risk running for it, if I didn't respect Anderson."

"_That would be inadvisable, Lt. Moreau,"_ replied Laskey. _"We've got Technomancers on board who can track you anywhere you try to run, even with the stealth systems engaged."_

"I take it that's how you were able to find me?" asked Shepard. "The Array told them where to look?"

"_That's correct, Shepard,"_ said Laskey. _"One of them said that God's really got it in for you. I don't know what they were talking about, but the data they pulled sent us out here."_

"Lately I feel like God, whatever it is, does have it in for me," sighed Shepard, her eyes closed.

"And everyone you know's getting caught in the crossfire," muttered Joker. "God's pretty damn vindictive like that."

"_Anyway,"_ Laskey interrupted, _"we've got orders to bring you and the _Normandy_ in, Commander. We've even been authorised to open fire on you if you don't co-operate."_ A world-weary sigh could be heard coming from him._ "Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be. I've got nothing but respect for you, Shepard; hell, none of us want to do this, but you've got to answer for what happened in the Bahak System, Spectre rank be damned."_

"It's okay, Captain Laskey," said Shepard, patiently. "I gave my word to Anderson and Hackett that I'd come quietly when the time came. I've no intention of breaking it now. You'll get no trouble from any of us."

"_Glad to hear you're still the same Commander we remember,"_ said Laskey. _"Rendezvous at these co-ordinates, and prepare to be boarded."_ With that, he signed off.

"Well, that went well," said Joker. "Never thought I'd end up grounded again, by the UNSC again, no less."

"Maybe Anderson can pull some strings," said Vega, shrugging. "The _Normandy_'s too good of a ship to be scrapped. Could sure use a new lick of paint, though. Maybe the Admiral can get you the ship back once it's been retrofitted."

"Maybe..." sighed Joker. Shepard knew that he was thinking about what might happen to EDI when the UNSC took the ship. Her only hope was to keep her head down, not do anything to give herself away. Minutes later, the docking clamps were released, and the ship pulled away from Cipritine, heading back towards the atmosphere of Palaven, and towards their eventual captors.

"I'd better go let Anderson know what's up," said Vega. "They'll expect us all in the cargo bay once we're on board the _Infinity_." Seeing the weary looks on Shepard's and Joker's faces, he added, "It can wait a few minutes, though, if ya wanna say goodbye or something. I'll see you in the cargo bay."

After Vega left, Shepard and Joker sat in silence as Joker flew towards the _Infinity_. As the ship's gun-like outline grew closer, his expression grew more downcast, more hopeless. Shepard, trying to look as dignified as her despairing emotions would allow her, knew how he felt; she too loved the _Normandy_, and it would be hard to be separated from her and everyone who served on her, everyone who fought by her side when she needed it most. That was the most painful wound of all through this whole ordeal; the feeling that she had let everyone down. After a few more minutes, the ship came to rest in the large hangar bay of the ship, and the sounds of voices and footsteps could be heard below, doubtless caused by boarding parties. Shepard wondered what was going through their minds right now. Laskey had sounded disappointed, reluctant to carry out his orders; she wondered if all of his subordinates shared that reluctance.

"Better not keep 'em waiting, Shepard," sighed Joker, his voice cracking and losing its usual light-hearted demeanour. "I'm ready to go."

"Me too," said Shepard, helping her pilot, one of her most trusted friends, to his feet.

**THE END**


End file.
